Pirate Quest
by Krocken the Hybrid
Summary: In a war-torn world, a crew of vigilante pirates, led by the mighty Krocken, travel the world with their allies to prevent the ressurection of two destroyers by an evil queen and a deranged pirate lord. As they travel, they face the concepts of adventure, love, hate, vengeance, forgiveness, and more. Couples abound, will become M later.
1. Intro

**_The story here is a work between me, CannedMadMan66, BealMister, and ceadeus-slayer. An epic tale, we have a lot of ideas for this, so please enjoy._**

* * *

_Who I am is not important at the moment. What is important is the tale I am about to tell. As I look upon the world, and all the people upon it, I constantly recall the events that led up to today._

_The world I love has been doused in blood and warfare, yet cleansed but joy and bravery. The darkest hours were lit by the rays of light of a few brave individuals who changed the world._

_ The tale you about to hear is one of adventure and treasure, of pride and humility, of vengeance and forgiveness, of hatred and love._

_ So settle down, and listen to my tale._

_ It all began in a kingdom…_


	2. Royal Tension

**Royal Tension**

Aquarius, the grand kingdom by the sea, was having one if it's peaceful days, and by that, I mean only a few of the nobles were out to harass and annoy the public people. Most people were either in hiding or trying to look busy to the nobles who had come out to 'check' on the people to see if they were meeting the daily status quo. The local tavern keeper, however, was now in a pickle as the Captain of the Guard, a pompous man known as Prince Charming, was grilling him.

"One last time, my friend," Charming said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Where is the rest of your stock?"

"Look, I'm telling ya, I ain't got nothing else!" the tavern keeper, Moe Szyslak, snapped in an irritated fashion as he spoke with the Captain.

"Really now?" Charming said with a raised eyebrow, before snapping his fingers. "Gentlemen!"

In response, two muscular figures, one human and one Kremling, came into the tavern. These were members of the guard, Klubba and Hun, and the right hand thugs of Charming.

Without a word, they began searching the bar, flipping over tables and breaking bottles, before heading towards the back.

"HEY! I should charge ya for the mess!" Moe snarled, trying to keep his terror down as he backed into a corner

"Now, now." Charming said. "Let's not get hasty."

Hun and Klubba came back, Klubba holding a barrel of wine.

"The little freak ain't lying." Hun said. "Nothing here but nothing!"

"So, a waste of time?" asked Charming

"Except these barrels of wine." Klubba said as he punched the barrel open and drank right from it. He looked at it, and then said. "Hmmmm, a bit sour. The rest of the barrels are probably bad too! We should confiscate them to protect the citizens."

"Excellent idea!" Charming nodded and Klubba began to gather more barrels

"WAIT!" Moe cried in panic. "Not my wine! It's all I have left! If you take-"

Hun, without even turning, backhanded Moe, sending him flying across the room and into some tables. Moe looked up wearily at the angered Hun. "You really wanna try me, little guy!? That was just a love tap compared to what I can really do!" he snarled.

Charming held up his hand. "Save it, Hun. Gather the barrels instead." He ordered. Hun nodded and went to help, as Charming turned to the wounded Moe. "Apologizes," he said in an insincere tone. "But I cannot allow you to poison the good citizens of this kingdom with tainted wine. So, we'll be happy to help by taking it off your hands!" Charming laughed as he and his men left with the barrels.

"OK." Moe said to himself as he lay on the ground. "I stuck here in tremendous pain, and some high up snobs just stole my valuable wine." He said calmly. "I don't know how to respond to that abuse."

Then Moe began to cry pathetically.

* * *

Nearby citizens watched in shock as Charming and his men approached their personal carriage, carrying the barrels.

"What's that you have there?"

Charming turned to see his lieutenant, Monkey D. Luffy, standing nearby, his arms crossed.

Charming smiled. "Why, lieutenant, merely some barrels containing poor wine we had to relinquish." He replied cheerfully.

"…I see." Luffy said, trying to keep his anger down.

Charming grinned as he put on hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Come now, Luffy. You must understand that little rats like Moe must be put it their place from time to time, even if the methods are harsh! Otherwise we'd have total anarchy, which is the last thing the queen wants. That's part of nobility. Until you learn that, you can never take my place as Captain."

Charming jumped into the carriage with the others. "Come now, Luffy. Have some fun and join us!"

Luffy sighed and climbed in, as two Great Jaggi's pulled the carriage away. Luffy knew that Charming did not care for the well being of the citizens: he was in it for the power and privilege, taking great joy in bulling the people.

* * *

Linhua watched the exchange from the doctor's office with horror.

"This is so sad." She said to herself. "I wish I could do something…but I'm just so…"

"Don't blame yourself. " A kind voice spoke and Linhua turned to see her mentor, Litchi Faye Ling, next to her. "Many people wish they could do something, but those who tried in the past… didn't last long." She said sadly.

"Yes… I remember." Linhua shivered at the memory of the fate of the rebels.

Litchi sighed. "This kingdom was once soon peaceful and great…until she came into power." She said under her breath.

Linhua sighed. "Maybe…we need to get our minds off things. Let me make you some tea."

The two smiled as they headed back in, although their hearts remained heavy.

* * *

"Problem, sir?" Klubba asked with a smile as he fingered his club.

"It's nothing, soldier." Luffy said as he stared out the window where he could get a view of the kingdom.

The buildings all over were pale blue, to keep with the sea theme, built mostly out of stone or wood. Surrounding most of the city was a massive wall, designed to keep wild creature and intruders out. The only place not blocked by it was the seaside, which was always busy, which ships going in and out, to travel, ship goods about, or take out other invaders.

"It's nothing at all." Luffy repeated. _"Shiftless bastards! How did the kingdom come to this? This is all her fault!"_

Hun smiled. "Oh, cheer up, now! Look the bright said.' He said as they reached the palace gates, while two Skrall guards let them in. "You don't have to be training potential recruits!"

Luffy just looked at the beautiful castle, white and blue in color, made with marble, stone, and stained glass portraits.

"Not only that," added Charming. "You don't have to deal with those noble girls who wish to be within our ranks."

As he said this, the carriage stopped in front of the training grounds. The sound of battle could be heard.

"Speaking of which…" Klubba said as they all departed the vehicle. "Sounds like Nightmare busy today."

**(Music: Battle Theme, Chrono Trigger)**

Sure enough, a large figure, covered in azure armor, one arm heavily mutated, and wielding a large sword was battling three young girls: Saya Otonashi, Noel Vermillion, and Tsubaki Yayoi.

Nightmare kept his stance while glaring at the girls. "Is that really all you have?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Saya glared, then leapt into the air with her katana. "HI-YAAAAH!" she howled as she plunged down on Nightmare, who blocked it quickly with his Devil Arm.

Saya saw the chance. "Now, Tsubaki!" she called.

Tsubaki charged, Izayoi drawn. "Your wide open!" she said to Nightmare. Nightmare growled, grabbed Saya, and swung her at Tsubaki, knocking them both away.

"TAKE THIS!" Noel's voice rang out as a burst from Bolverk hit Nightmare in the chest. After a brief stagger, Nightmare charged and bashed his shoulder against Noel, knocking her to the ground and disarming her. "AH!"

"You're done, fool!" Nightmare snarled as he raised his sword.

"Get away from her, Ni-!" Tsubaki charged at Nightmare, but he turned and cut her across the torso. She stumbled to the ground, wounded, but not fatal.

But the distraction was enough to allow Saya to leap on his back and stab her blade in his shoulder. "If you like to play rough," she said. "Then it's fair if we do so as well!"

Nightmare suddenly backhanded her hard, knocking her to the ground, stunned. He drew out he sword and glared at her. "My shoulder? Please, that is no fatal spot at all." His eyes narrowed. "You lack the killing intent necessary to be a warrior." He approached her, the blade ready. "Now you shall now the price for your foolish mercy!"

Noel and Tsubaki could only watch in horror as Nightmare prepare to stab Saya with the katana…

**(End Music)**

…when a dagger flew in and knocked the blade way. Nightmare turned to the intruder. "Ah, Hagi, it seems you are protective to your bride as always." He hissed.

Hagi, gripping his cello in one hand, smirked. "Not only that, but it's harsh to kill trainees during mere training exercises." He said.

Nightmare laughed. "Bah! These girls are not worthy of being called that. They try so hard to act as fighters that they forget that are mere princesses who don't know anything about combat!"

"That's not true at all!" A young woman, Boa Hancock, came in the yard, her face angry. "I saw that vast potential they all had, and I believe that they can become great warriors! You're just a bully to them."

"Careful, wench!" Nightmare warned. "Lest you wish to have your tongue removed."

Irritated, Luffy entered the yard and stood up to Nightmare. "Enough, Nightmare. I order you, as your superior, to stand down!" he ordered as Charming, Hun, and Klubba raised their eyebrows in amusement.

Nightmare smirked. "Ah, the rubber boy, mere hand-to-hand combat specialist. You even stand against me without armor." He gripped his sword. "You think you're a match for me?"

"Is that a challenge?" Luffy asked darkly.

"Luffy, come on." Boa said with a blush. "Don't get to rough."

Nightmare just smiled and sheathed his sword. "No, you are not worth my time or effort. Maybe someone else can entertain me." He said as Charming and the guards joined him as he walked away. "Farewell, 'sir'…"

Once they were all gone, Boa and Hagi helped their friends up.

"You all right, Saya?" Hagi asked in concern.

"Ugh, yeah!" groaned Saya, holding her shoulder.

Luffy sighed. "Why did I join this stupid guard? I should have remained as a pirate. I had more honor there than here." He lamented.

"Oh, Luffy." Boa smiled. "You shouldn't be too bitter. You have great leadership potential, unlike that preening peacock. Besides, it would be hard to hunt you done as a pirate."

Luffy smiled. "Heh, that's awfully nice of ya, Boa."

Before any further discussion could happen, Gresh, a Glatorian, approached them. But while he was a member of the guard, he lacked the sheer cruelty of the others, and had high concepts of honor and chivalry. As such, the Skrall militia thought little of him.

He looked over the situation. "What happened here?" he asked.

Noel, bandaging Tsubaki, looked up. "Nightmare is what happened." She responded.

Gresh groaned. "Yeah, should've known judging by the looks of the place. So glad he's not lieutenant." He turned to Luffy. "If he had your rank, he'd be unstoppable." He sighed "I remember the past, where peace and honor were once highly regarded. But now, the Queen and her entourage had changed all that. I traveled all around the city, and people are too afraid to stand up after the past events."

"NO!" Tsubaki cried, trying to sit up and Noel tended to her. "There has to be some way! Many of our loved ones are suffering because of this! My parents, Noel's parents…"

The memories came back to the group. Noel's and Tsubaki's parents were also part of the royal court. But when the Queen became more of a tyrant, they spoke against her and asked her to stop. She listened, and 'rewarded' their bravery by tossing them out of the city. They were left to their fate behind the wall, at the mercy of whatever wild, angry, and/or creature they came across.

"We just need to think about this," Gresh continued. "And get more on our side."

* * *

Inside the castle, a similar situation was taking place.

**(Music, Opera Triangle, Solatorobo)**

A high-ranking noble, Palutena, had gathered some of the other maidens of the castle, Schala, Ciel, Rapunzel, Mia, and Elh, into a private room, It seemed to be a mere lesson in etiquette, but they, in fact, were meting to discuss other things.

"Ok, girls,' Palutena began. "You remember why you are here?" she asked.

"To learn our lessons and have your famous tea?" Schala asked slyly.

Palutena laughed. "Yes, that's what we tell those sycophants." Then she looked serous. "But you know, of course, we're here to discuss the recent happenings around here."

Ciel spoke up. "Yes, I know." She said as she sipped her tea. "Which I managed to gather various amounts of info on the Queen and her scandals."

"Just like a skilled secretary." Palutena complemented.

Ciel smiled as she continued. "The Queen currently wishes to divert the attention of the public away from her actions via a new subject."

"Which is…?" Rapunzel asked.

"Pirates."

"Pirates? That's a new one." Schala said.

"But what to they have to do with anything?" Elh asked.

"In the Queen's eyes, their represent chaos and disorder. They would make a great scapegoat for any problems. As such, she may wish to eliminate them to improve her own public image to the other kingdoms."

"In that case," Mia spoke in. "They would be her and strike deals for protection from them, thus spreading her influence."

"That was a pretty quick observation, Mia." Palutena smiled. "You really are smart."

Mia blushed. "Thank you, Lady Palutena. It's means a lot to hear that from you."

"Oh, come on now." Palutena said. " You both pretty and smart. Sometime I'm surprised you decided to become a priestess."

"Someone has to keep the people enlightened and hopeful, compared to the religious leader, Simon Wales." Mia said as she pulled out some paper.

"Wales? He's never any good!" growled Schala.

"Which brings me to this." Mia responded. "As you know, Wales brainwashes people to believe whatever abomination our scientists, Relius, Mutran, and Merveille, create in their labs is justified." She shuddered. "It still sickens me what Relius did to his own wife!"

Palutena nodded. The three scientists were the best and brightest minds known in the kingdom. However, Relius had a complete lack of empathy and compassion, and Mutran was a sadist. Merveille, on the other hand, was just distant.

"Anyways, recently during Wales 'sermon', he mentioned something about a 'Day of Reckoning', which would supposedly change the world." Mia continued. "He says only those faithful the Queen shall be spared."

"So basically," Ciel said. "Wales is trying to win more people over."

"Yes, he is, as always." Mia said. "Yet he seems ever more intense that before. It's almost as if…he believes in it himself."

Palutena thought for a moment. Father Simon Wales, as she knew, was the head of the Queen's church. He was a fanatical zealot, devoted to the Queen and no one else. Many people followed him, and found themselves drawn in by his charisma. Mia disliked this; she believed religion should serve to help people with their lives, not serve ones own interest

Schala looked up. "These two agendas…The Queen is plotting both of them, but what do they have in common?"

Before any further discussion could be made, a frantic, young male voice could be heard outside. "Miss Gothel, I'm sorry, but Lady Palutena has instructed me not to let anyone interrupt her lessons and- HEY! NOT THE WING!"

The door burst open and Mother Gothel, an aide to the Queen, stormed in her usual mood: foul, crabby, and unpleasant. Palutena's bodyguard, Pit, came stumbling in, clutching his wing.

Gothel glared at Palutena. "Lady Palutena! I wish to know what you are doing behind these doors!" she growled.

Palutena smiled slyly "Oh, what do you mean? Just as it is your job to teach these young girls academics, it's my job to teach them in etiquette. I was doing such a good job until you burst in quite rudely right past my angel."

Gothel scowled. "Your bravery and looks will only get you so far, Palutena. One day, it will catch up with you, especially with someone as close to the Queen as me!"

Rapunzel stood up. "Mother, if you just came to criticize, then I'd suggest you should leave."

Gothel frowned as the girls turned toward her in defense of Palutena. To them, Palutena was always so kind and motherly compared to the strict, praise-hungry Gothel.

Gothel often made no secret of her jealously of Palutena and her relationship with the others. She desired the praise for her own one day, but for now, she just gritted her teeth and stormed off, while Pit resumed his duty by the door.

When Gothel was gone, another female voice spoke next to him. "Little trouble with the advisor today?"

Pit turned to see Nojiko and her lover, Ventor, approach. Pit sighed. "Yeah, she's an awfully pushy type, I'll gave you that."

Ventor turned towards the odor. "Miss Palutena speaking with the girls, right?"

Pit nodded. "Yeah, she is." Then whispered. "Discussing the recent going-on's about the kingdom."

Nojiko smirked. "I heard things too. Maybe big things are coming to the kingdom finally."

Ventor looked up. "Question is, for the better…or for the worst?"

* * *

That evening…

Jin Kisaragi strode down the halls of castle, bored and frustrated.

Once again he found himself wandering aimlessly through the area, waiting for anything from the Queen.

He had never really been out into the city into town, not that he was even allowed to. He was, as the Naval Admiral, only allowed to go out to sea on missions.

He stared out a nearby window to collect his thought and look at the town.

He was always wondering what was beyond the borders, beyond the gate. Tsubaki just got worked up over it when it was mentioned, still distraught over her parents.

Jin sighed. He had sided with Neyla for his own reasons, but soon wondered if it was the best choice.

_"Tsubaki"_ he thought. _"Someday maybe I can-"_

"WHY HELL-OOOOOOO, JINNY!"

Jin nearly had a heart attack when the face of the court jester, Dimentio, came up right in his face.

"Damn it, Dimentio!" Jin growled. "Would you please stop doing that?"

"Ah, you must not droop like a sun deprived flower!" grinned Dimentio. "You must bathe in the sunshine of joy and grow, Jinny!"

"…Please don't call me that." Sighed Jin, always finding the jester a little…unbalanced.

"Suit yourself, Jin." Dimentio said. "By the way, lemme tell ya a riddle to get your mind off the boring window."

"Fine." Jin grunted, not really pleased with Dimentio.

Dimentio smiled. "So, what goes on 4 legs, then two legs, then three as time goes on?" he asked.

"The Riddle of the Sphinx?" Jin asked incredulously. "How utterly predictable. The answer is a man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as and adult, and then uses a cane in old age."

"Oh, so close, but no cigar!" chided Dimentio. "The answer is a baby all the time. After you get bored of it crawling on four, cut off its legs so it can walk on hands, then give a stick to crawl around with!"

Jin stared in shock. "By the Kaiju, you're sick!" he turned and stormed off, trying to ignore the crazed laughter of the jester.

* * *

**(Music: Villains of a Sort, Kingdom Hearts)**

Neyla, The Queen of Aquarius, stood on her private balcony, overlooking the city, an expression of cold disgust on her face.

The city was now hers… meaning nothing more could be taken from it, and the other kingdoms-and their resources- would not just fall so easily. It would take some…persuasions to change their minds. The scientists and Wales would be help for that, while the other members of the entourage either helped her image, or deposed of any little bugs who dared question her rule.

The tigress' ear twitched when she sensed someone behind her. She turned and gave a dark smile. "Ah, it's you. I was wondering when you were coming to report."

Relius Clover stood there, his mask hiding all emotions as usual. "My Queen, I have some good news for you. Project Cardiac is going well. The prototype is fully functional, and we are planning to finish it soon. " He rubbed his chin. "It will take some DNA of a powerful individual to finish, though."

"I'm sure we can find someone." Neyla said. "In other news, how is Deus?"

Relius frowned. "That, unfortunate, is going quite slowly. Some of the research seems to just vanish overnight."

Neyla eyes narrowed. "I see, then it seems some rats have yet to be exterminated."

Relius, behind his mask, raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, I guess some are still foolish or stupid enough to resist us." He mused.

Neyla turned away. "It no longer matters. They won't stand a chance." She straightened up. "Continue the research. Project Dues is to be finished soon if we are to change the world." She smiled. "After all, once the gods are in our hands, who could stop us?"

Relius bowed with a smile, and took his leave. Neyla stared out into the distance, and smiled cruelly.

She did not know that hope was far off, in an unexpected form.

**(End Music)**


	3. Crew of Honor

**Crew of Honor**

Late night…

Out in the waters of a port town of Kickaboo, a large ship, _The Opal of the Serpent_, floated, primed for battle.

Inside, a Transmetal Maximal, Rattrap, stood at the cannon, waiting for his perfect moment. He was ready, he was serious, he was-

"Hey, Rattrap!" Momo Hinamori said as she from the ship kitchen, holding a plate of cookies. "Here' some food to keep you ready.

"Oh, thanks, Momo-chan!" Rattrap said happily as he ate some, before turning to the mechanic, Winry Rockbell. "How's the cannon coming?" he asked.

Tightening a last screw on the firearm, Winry stood up. "It's ready for action!" she said.

"Awesome!" Rattrap said as he stood up. "King, how's the shell?"

A warrior with a jaguar mask came over, loading a shell into the cannon. "Locked and loaded, sir!" he said.

As Rattrap primed the cannon, Momo looked outside,. "You sure they really don't need us down there? It feels wrong to stay here while the others do the fighting."

Another crew member, a young girl with long brown hair and black eyes named Wing came up, her sword at her side. "Trust me, Momo," she said. "Things will go fine with Rattrap behind the cannon."

"Besides," King said with crossed arms "We might have some action brought to US with that wacko out there."

**(Music: Strength of a Thousand Men, Two Steps from Hell)**

Rattrap smirked as he fired the cannon. The shell shot out and slammed into a giant floating tower with demonic designs. This was the lair of the terrorist Pastmaster, a collector of rare and mystical artifacts.

In this case, the people of Kickaboo were mostly explorers, and recently, during one of their excavations of a massive tomb, a group came across something that could be linked to a being that had lived and died thousands of years ago. Pastmaster had heard this, and now was drawn to it by the dark power that seemed to radiate from it, and he soon discovered what exactly they found.

Back at the battle, The Pastmaster felt the shock of the cannon hitting his tower. "Ack!" he cried as he staggered, before regaining himself. "Stupid fools! Their petty weapons cannot hurt me!" He raised his hands and they glowed. "Now, go forth, minions from hell. Retrieve for me the Scales of Deathwing!"

Out on the streets of the town, panic broke out as gargoyle-like demons appeared and began to rampage around the town, searching for the scales. The Pastmaster laughed madly as he summoned a Megasaurus Rex, a titanic reptilian creature, to spearhead the assault.

Soon, a man named Flint found himself corned between the Rex and the walls of flame. With him were his sons, Lucas and Claus. The Pastmaster smiled sickly form his perch.

Flint held out a small sword in defense of his boys. Lucas trembled. "D-Dad? I'm scared." He said.

"I know, son.'" Flint said. "So am I."

"Is this really the end?" Claus asked in concern.

"Just run when I give the signal boys." Fling said. He readied his sword, charged…and before he could shout to his sons, a large, cold, white mist came form the side, made contact with the Rex, and froze it solid.

A dark-purple velociraptor with red stripes came leaping down in front of him, the white frost lapping gently across his jaw. He wore a crimson headscarf, a black coat with a skull and crossbones on it, and held a katana with a guard shaped like a yin-yang symbol.

The creature looked like a pirate to Flint, but he did just save their lives…

Anther pirate, a white armored figure with long hair, covered in red eyes, came from the sky, wielding a long sword. He cleaved the frozen Rex in half, watching the beast shatter into pieces. Meanwhile, the demons found themselves confronted by the pirates

The armored figure landed next to the raptor. He turned to him. "Orders, Captain Krocken?" he asked.

Krocken glanced at him. "We defend this town, Hakumen, , or die trying!" He looked up. "I'm going after shorty." He was about to leave, before turning to Flint. "In case you wondering, we are pirates…that doesn't mean we are heartless beings that ignore others in need." He jumped away to face his foe, as Flint, in understanding, fled with his boys.

As Hakumen went back to battle with the deomns, Krocken ran across building tops to the tower, slashing past giant centipedes as he went. Irate, the Pastmaster opened his book. "'Hear the words of this immortal. Send this creature through the portal!"

A large Megadactyl emerged from the book. The Pastmaster mounted and flew towards Krocken. "Now, you shall fall, Krocken. The Scales are mine, and no lowly pirate shall steal from me!" he hissed.

Krocken sneered as he leapt up, drawing his katana, Tasogare. "It ain't stealing if I'm taking something that belongs to the family!" he snarled, reaching his foe and striking at him, who blocked it with his magic watch.

The Pastmaster looked at Krocken in confusion. "Your family? What the hell are you-" he froze when he realized what Krocken was saying. "Then…you…" he saw the cold flare in Krocken's eye, and realized the heritage of the pirate.

"Damn."

* * *

The fires began to spread through town as the demons continued their assault, with them breathing fire and hurling torches. The pirates, however, proved to be tough for them.

Some pirates had their mishaps, such as a Kaka girl, Taokaka, whose tail received a slight ember.

"OW! OW! TAO'S TAIL IS ON FIRE, MEOW!" she screamed das he leaped about.

"Hold on!" a female voice called. "I got ya back!"

Korra, a brown haired girl with light blue clothing, used he bending powers to alter some fountain water, dousing Tao off.

"Thanks, Dark Lady!" Tao said cheerfully as she charged off to fight some demons.

"…She still can't get my name down." Korra said with a smiling smirk.

"No time to worry about that now!" A raccoon, Sly Cooper, helped a boy named Butters up on a roof to safety. "How are going to deal with these bozos and their bonfires?"

"We just do…THIS!" Korra laughed as she unleashed a huge flood of water through the area, pounding down on the demons and wiping out the flames. She sighed with a smile as she relaxed.

* * *

Elsewhere, a group of citizens found themselves trapped in a burning building, with no way out.

"Everyone, stay calm!" the Mayor of the town, Mole-Yair, ordered, trying not to panic himself as the flames raged

Any potential for panic, however, was cut short with a large slab of metal cut through the wall, pulled back, and created an opening for escape.

A silver-haired man stood there, wearing a red trench coat and holding a massive sword. He looked at the crowd.

"Hey! Don't just stand there! Get to safety!" he barked.

As everyone rushed out, Mole-Yair turned to the man. "I thank you, stranger!" he said before running off to safety."

"Heh, It was nothing." The man smirked. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a demon almost upon him. He readied himself…when it was cut in half in front of him.

A young boy, with spiky brown hair and a key shaped sword, jumped down next to him. 'You OK, Ragna?" he asked.

Ragna frowned. "Ya know, Sora, I could've have whacked him myself." He smiled. "Thanks anyways."

"No problem!" Sora said. "But maybe we should get away form that nasty worm heading right forward us!"

Ragna spun around to see a monstrous worm lunging right at them, its jaws wide open in anticipation for a meal. They jumped away as it slammed its face into the ground.

"Wow, it makes you look like a fashion model!" Sora joked.

"…What the hell do you mean by THAT?" Ragna asked, twitching in rage.

"Oh, come on, only joking!" Sora laughed as they fought the worm.

Ragna smirked. "Heh, I'll just pummel ya later."

* * *

Three other worms emerged from the earth and began moving out. One stayed on land, and the other two began to swim towards the ship.

A cannon shell quickly dispatched one, blowing its head into bits, but the other reached the ship before Rattrap could reload.

As its long body slithered onto the ship in an attempt to bring it down, several of the pirates began to engage it.

"All right, everyone" The 2nd mate, a black and red armored Reploid known as Zero, called out to his troops. "Take it out, before it brings us down to Davy Jones!"

Momo plunged her sword into its side. "Hey, let's get with the program here!" she barked, as she unleashed fire energy down her blade. "This thing's not going to waste itself."

Rattlesnake Jake began to pump rounds into the worm. "What do you think we're trying to do?!" he asked in irritation. "Tickle it?!"

Zero, along Flynn Rider, drew their respective blades and stabbed the worm, blood seeping form the wounds. The worm snarled.

"Oh, he's getting pretty angry!" Flynn smirked. "Means we're getting to it!"

"But it's not enough!" Zero said.

Wing and a younger catbit pirate, Klonoa, began unleashing their magi to combat the worm. Wing used light-based powers, while Klonoa unleashed the power of wind. The worm was getting weaker, but it still held and snarled furiously.

"Whoa, this guy is pretty tough for something that has no backbone!" Klonoa said.

"Well, we're even tougher!" Wing said as she readied herself again.

Before any further move could be made, Hakumen appeared, having used the body of the first worm to run from the town to the ship. He leapt into the air and came crashing down, slicing off the head of the worm.

"The head of snake is where the root is!" He said, before turning Jake. "No offense."

"It's nothing."

Uh, guys?" Klonoa said, pointing to the corpse of the beast. "We have a problem."

They all turned to see the worm sliding down towards the sea. Its body had tangled up in the mast, however, and was trying to drag the ship down.

"Oh, shit." Wing grimaced. "How are we going to get that thing off like that?"

"I got this!" Rayman, a limbless pirate, came running in, ready to fight.

"Rayman, wait, I got-" Hakumen began, but Rayman cut him off. "No, wait, I know what I'm doing!"

"He says that all the time." Flynn muttered to himself.

"Well, he has guts at least." Zero replied.

Rayman headed towards the sliding worm, winding up a massive punch, and when he was within range, he let loose, and his blow sent the worm flying away into the distance., creating a massive splash in the sea

"…Whoa…" was as Flynn said as Rayman collapsed.

The others came over to him. "Uh, how do you feel?" Zero asked.

Rayman looked at his swollen hand. "Just dandy." He said with a smile.

* * *

Back on land, Samus, Berix, Kari Kamiya, and Isaac faced off against the last of the worms, standing their ground against the beast.

Samus blasted the best, only causing minor burns. "Damn! It's too thick! We something witih a greater amount of force!" she growled. "Can't risk unleashing a full blast here!"

Kari, gripping onto its head as it thrashed about while trying to dig in her daggers, cried out,"Trying to distract it up here isn't really-WHOA!" she was tossed off, but Samus managed to grab her safety.

"Ugh, how can we finish it?" Berix growled. "Why am I even here?! I'm a medic and engineer!"

"Because you do have some combat experience," Isaac replied as he focused his energy. "And we need more people down here to fight…so stop whining and let's finish this!" he unleashed his power over earth, rocks erupting around the beast and pinning it into place. "Now, finish it."

Berix pulled out his specialized blade. Generating a mass amount of water, he formed into a high-pressure cutter. He jumped up and sliced the worm in half, covering himself in black blood as he did.

He sniffed himself and scowled. "Ugh, smells like last nights dinner when we gutted it." He growled.

* * *

"Light Horn!" Krocken did an underhanded swing on Tasogare, unleashing a burst of Light energy in the shape of a Rhinoceros Beetle's head, which the Pastmaster managed to block, if only barely.

"Oh, that sword…it has a sprit within, I'm presuming?" The Pastmaster asked with a smirk.

"Two, actually." Krocken replied with a scowl before unleashing another attack. "Dark Guillotine!" This time, a burst of shadow energy erupted with a horizontal swing, in shape of a massive Stag Beetle. If the Pastmaster hadn't ducked, he would've been sliced in half by the massive jaws.

"Very nice indeed." The Pastmaster grinned. "I'll be sure to add it in my collection"

"You can try, tiny!" Krocken sneered. "Though I doubt they would listen to YOU! They're pretty damn stubborn!"

"Oh, I can convince them quite well!" The Pastmaster laughed, as he unleashed a bust of energy, knocking Tasogare away and onto the ground. "Now, without your blade, you're-"

"-still more than a match for you!" Krocken punched a fist into an open palm with a smirk. "Who the Hell do you think I am?"

The Pastmaster snarled as the two began to trade blows with their bare hands. Yet despite the Pastmaster's skills, Krocken was incredibly strong, and it was clear he had the upper hand it bare-fist fight.

"Bah!" Pastmaster scoffed. "I won't let you win!" His watch came with the next punch, the magic powering the blow

This was blocked by a clawed kick by Krocken, who smirked. "Is that all ya got, words and little timepiece?" he mocked.

"No...I HAVE THIS!" Skeletal hands erupted from the back of the Megadactyl and pinned Krocken to the ground. "HA! Now I've got you!" The Pastmaster raised his hands. "Now you shall be my finest puppet!"

_"Shit! Can't end like this!"_ Krocken thought to himself, gritting his teeth…but then he noticed something-or someone, rather- in the corner of his eye.

"Any last word, raptor scum?" The Pastmaster jeered.

Krocken smirked. "Yeah: Get living friends over undead friends." He said.

"HA! Why would I do that?" The Pastmaster laughed.

In a flash, a red-haired girl, Kairi, leapt up over the Pastmaster and swiped his watch away with her Keyblade, before kicking his book away. "Because the dead don't have your back!" she replied.

The Pastmaster paled as Krocken broke free and stood up. "Now, do YOU have any last words?' Krocken asked.

"W-wait! Maybe I was a little hasty –" The Pastmaster was cut off by knockout uppercut from Krocken.

"On second thought, don't really care." Krocken said.

**(End Music)**

The demons soon began to disintegrate, as the pirates finally relaxed.

* * *

Later…

Mole-Yair made sure all the citizens were accounted for as the pirates started to bring them back together.

It was then a young woman, Lisa came running up to Krocken, panicking.

"Sir, I thank you greatly, but I can't seem to find my little boy! I can't find him in the crowd and-!"

"Don't sweat it!" Ibuki, a female ninja and part of the crew, came walking up, a small boy on her back. "Little guys right here. The worst of the damage is just being scared."

Lisa cried tears of relief as her son went into her hands. "Oh, Sosuke, you're all right!" she said happily.

Mole-Yair smiled as the turned to Krocken. "I thank you, sir! If it wasn't for this mess now, I would reward you in some way."

Krocken looked serious. "All I ask for is the Scales." He said.

"Yeah, honestly, we where on our way here to steal them anyways." Ibuki said with a shrug.

Mole-Yair chuckled. "Honest, I like that." He smiled. "Well, usually I'd be hesitant, but seeing as you risked your lives, along with the fact the scales was the cause of the attack, the Scales are yours."

An aide came over and handed Krocken two massive, rocky plates, once scales to an enormous creature…one that had connections to Krocken.

"Thank you," Samus said. "In addition, more rouges would have kept coming for these. They sense the power and are drawn to it, unaware of the consequences for using such power."

"Yet you seem to have no desire for dark powers." Mole-Yair stated.

Krocken smiled lightly. "We may be pirates, but we choose this path not for selfish reasons, but because we had no where else to go. All of us, like you, had normal lives once, but tragedy has torn them apart. We only have each other now."

Mole-Yair was silent, then spoke again. "So, what shall you do now?"

Ragna shrugged. "Well, first we turn shorty here in for money." He prodded the dazed Pastmaster at his feet. "He is a highly wanted guy, number 15 out of 100 most wanted. Then we do who-knows-what."

As the pirates began to take their leave, Mole-Yair suddenly remembered something, and went to Krocken is private. "You know… this is just a request… but I wish to ask you something."

"That would be…?" Krocken asked.

"Are you aware of the kingdom of Aquarius?' Mole-Yair asked.

"Of course." Krocken said. "It's one of the biggest kingdoms in the world."

"Yes," Mole-Yair said. "We even have extended family over there, including my brother, Exhumor." He sighed. "But I have heard that the city has degenerated into dictatorship, and many now live in fear." He looked up. "I just wish for someone to check and see if they all alright, and things are not as bad as they seems"

Krocken was silent for a moment, as he too lost some loved ones in the past, such as…

"…I'll see what I can do." Krocken said as he strode off, the others following him.

As the pirate sailed away, it was apparent that Fate had set the gears in motion, even if they didn't realize it at the time


	4. Grand Scheme of Things

**Grand Scheme of Things**

Some time later, on _The Opal of the Serpent_, the crew had set anchor over a supposed wreck to obtain some funds. Rattrap had dove below to find some loot, while the others made sure the equipment to bring him back was working.

Krocken was in his quarters, lost in thought. He glanced at his blade, Tasogare, thinking on Mole-Yair's words, and trying to decide to put his crew at risk going to the city, since the kingdom would most likely shoot or stab them on sight.

And yet…

"Captain?"

Krocken turned to see Kari and Hakumen standing before him, a look of concern on Kari's face. "You look troubled." She said.

"…Ever wonder why we are like this?" he asked them. "Do we all really know true pain as others do, yet we continue to ruin their honest living through our own lowlife work?" he sighed. "How about this? We had loved ones, but we never knew how much they meant to us until they were gone."

"I do." Hakumen said. "I was a mighty warrior once, you recall, as I had many comrades, and someone to love. But then I was attacked, and my body left in tatters. I awoke as what you see now, victim of a dark experiment. Yet I forge on to help others in need."

"As is it mine." Kari said. "My life found me surrounded by war. I saw my family die…but I survived, telling me that I ad to move forward, despite the pain." She smiled sadly. "While this may not be the most honest path, it was the only path we had, and we use it to help those in need."

Krocken nodded as he walked out, the two following. "I thought as much. You know loss as well as I do."

Krocken had told the others his story (most of it). He didn't know his birth parents back then (He did now, and was… displeased by it) He was instead raised among a agriculture tribe of reptilians. They knew of his origin, but that just encouraged them to raise him kindly and show him a different path life. It was so long ago, but, as one of few happy moments in his life, he remembered it clearly

Then came the demons known as 'Heartless'. Swarming in masse, they quickly decimated his tripe, and Krocken's foster father, the chief of the tribe, managed to call on his shamanic abilities to send him nto hiding. Krocken, while he lived, lost everyone he cared for, and still blamed himself for being weak and unable to help.

But know he had other to watch over, to take care of, and he sword never to let them down.

"Indeed, and that is why we follow you." Hakumen said, cutting into his thoughts. "We all had our share of the dark side of life, and we now band together for a brighter future. We are the crew that will follow you forever."

Krocken was silent for a moment. He was a fine captain, and cared for his crew greatly, but sometimes it felt he couldn't connect as well as he wanted to. Socializing was not his thing, even after all these years of living. Maybe he just didn't want to connect to someone who had the potential to lose their life. He lost many in the past once, and the resulting depression nearly dragged him down. If that happened again, to his new comrades…

"Uh, everything all right, captain?" Kari asked.

Krocken looked up with a start. "Er, it's nothing, just thinking on what we should do now." Then he frowned. "Now that I think on it, I remember Mole-Yair speaking to me about Aquarius."

"Aquarius? That's one of the three major kingdoms of the world." Hakumen said in surprise. "Why he is concerned about that place?"

"He mentioned his brother, Exhumor, lived there." Krocken explained. "He's worried about him due to a apparent tyrant structure there."

" I heard things about that" Kari spoke up. "The queen there is said to be powerful, strict…and twisted." She shuddered.

"Yes, and he fears the worst." Krocken said.

"But why were you keeping to yourself like that?" Hakumen asked.

"I-"

"Excuse me, sir." Jake dropped down from the mast and coiled atop a barrel. "Couldn't help but listen to y'all chatter on about the choice of the path." He smiled. "Ya remember me, an outlaw,, thirsting for blood once." He sighed. "But as time wnt on, the lust for blood drained from me. Yet I found there was no where to go." he smiled. "Now, I know here I belong. We're with you to the end."

At that, the others members came up to their captain, all remembering how they came to be on this path. Many lost their friends and homes in war. Sora and Kairi, for example, lost their homeland, along with many friends and family, yet, despite the crushing loss and initial dismay, they joined Krocken and moved on. Winry and Berix lost ones they loved, but soon found solace in each other. Thinking on all this, Krocken came to a decision.

"Fetch Rattrap." He said to King. "We're headed to Aquarius."

The crew cheered as Rattrap was hoisted up (holding some trinkets), while Ragna took the helm and they sailed off.

Nobody noticed six mechanical figures watching the crew silently, before they submerged and began to follow at a distance.

* * *

Aquarius…

**(Music: Gold Golden Roar, Solatorobo)**

Neyla was having her own meeting during dinner. Those present were Jin, Gothel, and Charming. Also there was Jafar, another aide to the queen, with Iago the spying parrot on his shoulder; Buzzsaw, the artist/playwright/musician of the kingdom; Diva, a noblewoman with a grand singing voice; Karl, Diva's bodyguard; and Naval Commander Opera, with her two aides, Gren and Calua.

Neyla looked over them. "As you know, I have called you here today in preparation for an event."

"And that would be…?" Opera began,

"Let's start with this." Neyla said. "As you know, we are the third strongest kingdom in the world. However, recent events are trying to threaten our way of life."

Jafar looked up. "It seems,' he said to the others. "That some vermin of the other kingdoms are trying to look in our reign."

"Oh, what's new?" Iago sneered. "Everyone's snooping of someone. It's how progress and defense are made."

"As much as I loath to admit it, you are correct, Iago." Gothel replied. "Illyria in particular has been rather nosy in our affairs. Oh, how I hate Ky and his Gear"

"Yes, yes, I know." Neyla sighed. "But most of the kingdoms have been sniffing around anyway, wishing to portray me as a tyrant."

_"It's kind of true, actually, you slave-driving alley cat._" Gren thought to himself. He said out loud. "What do you intend to do?"

Diva gave a sharp, twisted laugh. "Why not just crush them now, Queen? The Skrall at our command can just plow down all in their way!"

Opera rolled her eyes as Neyla spoke. "I admire your readiness for battle, but they have their own defenses, so it would be unwise to strike now." She smiled. "Mutran, Relius, and Merveille are currently working on a being that will greatly aid us in our kingdoms welfare." She stood up. "In the meantime, we must show the others that I do have heart." (Jin fully suppressed a laugh at that.). Neyla turned to Buzzsaw. "That is why I called you here."

"Yes, your majesty?" Buzzsaw asked, his attention directed at her

"I want to present my intention for pirate elimination to the other kingdoms to show my side of our alliance, which seems to be weakening due to my…actions." She smirked. "To back it up, I wish to show this during a little ball I had in mind. I trust you can organize it well."

Buzzsaw smirked. "It shall be a masterpiece, your highness." He crooned. "The invited kingdoms may turn green with envy, in fact."

"Oh, I do hope so." Neyla said with a grin "I enjot watch them squirm at times like this."

Buzzsaw stood up and spread his wings. "Well then, maybe I should start gathering 'volunteers' to help me with this grand project." (By that, he meant gathering some Skrall, going out to town, and threatening citizens with bodily harm if they did not help) He then flew off to get to work.

Jin, however, stood up to speak. "I must ask, your highness, why do you allow the others to see you this way? Wouldn't it help to give aid the alliance much like they have aided you in the past? Maybe then these stupid accusations would stop."

Neyla glared at him. "Jin, you have limited understanding on my rule. You're merely an Admiral, meant only for batle! These is nothing wrong with what I do!" She snarled. "Now, either give some good ideas or shut up!"

"Our Admiral is getting a little too mouthy for his own good." Gothel thought to herself, having no great liking for Jin.

Charming then spoke up. "Never mind, we shall go through with the ball, which will be splendid thanks to our new supply of wine."

"Excellent idea." Jafar said. "And with Buzzsaw already starting the preparations, this will be done in no time at all."

"Then it's settled. "Neyla said. "We gather three other kingdoms, and other sailors to join this event!"

"It will be excellent!" Gothel said. "I eagerly anticipate the results of our labor as well!"

Jin sighed as he took his leave, the others making their plans. Diva and Karl, however, decided to follow him.

Once out of the dinner hall, Diva spoke to Jin. "You know, ice boy, dig into the queen like that, you're gonna get thrown out of this kingdom."

Jin turned to her, his eyes cold. "I am merely trying to assist her, like all the others." He said.

"Yet you persist in getting under her skin." Karl said. "This will lead to grave consequences not only to you, but to Tsubaki as well. She's like that."

Jin's eyes narrowed as he spoke to Diva. "So why do you follow her, then? Afraid for your sisters sake?" he mocked.

Diva flared in irritation. "Y-you leave Saya out of this!" she hissed.

Saya, in fact, was Diva's sister, but the two, while they may have been some evidence of sisterly love, mostly hated each other.

"Just a scenario." Jin said calmly.

"GAH! She can burn in hell for all I care!" Diva said as she stormed off, Karl following.

* * *

In the labs down below the castle…

"So, this is the failure, Relius?"

"Indeed, Mutran. This one had some much potential, yet its mind just would not submit."

"HEY! I have name, you know! It's Lawrence"

Relius and Mutran were overlooking a cage, where a young, orange-haired man with reptilian qualities (including a rather long tail) sat.

"Besides," Lawrence smirked as he leaned back. "You sure you're not done picking at me, or shoving needles up my ass?"

Mutran sneered. "Cute, but your snide remarks won't get you out of this one."

"Indeed, and that is why you are a failure." Relius said. "You mind remains untainted, and you have no desire to join our military yourself."

Lawrence shrugged. "Working with those weird rock soldiers cramps my style." He said, casually, while his thoughts drifted.

He remembered how he was before this; he was just a villager on a peaceful island settlement that lacked advanced technology. Then the queen's armada of Skrall came, screaming about finding the 'Heart of Biollante' or some other crap like that.

It was not on the island, so the Skrall took their frustration out on the people. Lawrence however, gave himself up, provided they leave his home and friends alone. They agreed, and they took him back, where Mutran and Relius, seeing potential for a super soldier, turned him into a half-reptile, covered in scales and armed with a tail. His handsome face remained, as did hid mind, despite the horrendous pain he was put through.

Relius stared. "So since you refuse to serve Neyla, We might as well get the profit back in making you." He rubbed his chin. "The nomadic Shrykes will be here in a few days, looking for slaves. We shall sell you for a profit to a master that will find use for your supreme power and reflexes."

Lawrence groaned. "Aw, come on, not those buzzards, you sons of bitches!" He knew about that race: A fierce, sadistic, female-dominated society of avians that revolved around slave trade.

Mutran gave a mock salute as Skrall came in and carried the cursing Lawrence out. "See ya, Lawrence. It's been fun!" he cackled.

After the Skrall had left, Relius turned and began walking to the main lab, Mutran following, to check on their project, bioweapon Cardiac.

Upon arriving, however, they saw Merveille already inside, standing next to the tank holding the body of Cardiac, holding the heart of the experiment.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing!?" Mutran snapped as her stormed towards her. Relius came forward as well with a scowl.

Merveille turned, her face calm and stoic as ever. "Do not fret, this is merely a second, back-up heart." She said as she placed it on the table.

"Back-up?" Relius asked. "This thing is not needed. Cardiac is perfect, even in it's incomplete stage."

"Nothing ever is perfect, Relius." Merveille responded. "That is simply the way of things, be it natural or unnatural"

Relius paused, then sighed as he looked at Cardiac. The being was black in color, with green stripes around the body. It was humanoid in shape, but it had no physical features. It was mere dummy, fully combat-ready, yet it needed to be remotely controlled to work. If they could just get a DNA sample of an exceptional warrior…

"We spent who-knows-how-long on this." Mutran said. "How could it go wrong?"

"Always something we could have overlooked…" Merveille trailed off as she walked away.

Relius, listening, realized Merveille was right: Neyla would not be happy if the being was defunct. She was the queen, and her word was absolute, and her displeasure was…unnerving at times

For now, he and Mutran left, plunging the lab and Cardiac in darkness.

* * *

Several days later, at the port of Aquarius…

"So, Captain Krunch, is it?" Opera asked the individual in front of her, while her aides stood nearby.

A purple raptor, dressed in a sea traders uniform smiled. "It is indeed, and we're traders of exotic goods."

This was, of course, Krocken. His crew, also wearing different outfits than usual, stood behind him, the ship flag changed to allay any suspicion of piracy. They were totally incognito…hopefully.

Opera smiled. "Well, welcome to the kingdom Aquarius." She looked about the others. "Hmmm, guess you must be here for the ball as well."

Suddenly sensing opportunity to learn about the kingdom, Krocken nodded. "Of course we'll be attending the ball. Not evey day one could get an opportunity for one" He said, while the others nodded as well, looking forward to a party.

Opera nodded. "Well, first I'd recommend changing out of those old trader clothes and into some nice clothes. They'd never let those in.," she chided.

"Er-right…" Krocken said, sweating as the others looked down as their own trader clothes.

"But aren't all the stores sold out or closed by now?" Calua asked.

"True," said Opera. "But there is someone who could help with that."

"Who?" Ibuki asked.

"Somewhere in town is a doctor and her assistant." Gren replied. "They have, somehow, gathered numerous clothes and costumes from patients." He smiled "I'm sure she would help."

"She won't mind if we borrow them?" Isaac asked.

"Nope." Opera said. "In fact, I heard she never tries them on. Something about things getting in the way or something."

"…Right." Ragna said with a sweat of his own.

"Well, we better be off to her." Krocken turned to his Krew, and pointed to Ragna, Ibuki, Isaac, Flynn, and Zero. "You guys come with me. The Rest of you help secure the ship and catch up with us later." Ignoring the mutters of disappointment from a few of the Krew members, he turned back to Opera. "I thank you." he said as they walked off.

Calua turned to Opera. "Uh, think we should have warned them on how enthusiastic she gets when drunk?" he asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Opera said with a grin.

* * *

As the group made their way down port, where traders or representatives from select kingdoms were unloading supplies and such, Ibuki noticed something down the port that was not in the way of the main kingdom path…but it was something she hated

Shrykes, the bird-women slavers, were gathered around the area, loading supplies onto their boat.

She remembered losing her clan to them, with the birds raiding, killing, and taking everyone. She only escaped when Krocken and several others rescued her after she had fled the initial carnage

She then noticed young, bored-looking man, wrapped in a cloak sitting in a cage, about to be loaded onto the ship as well. She hated the very sight, another one being sold as a slave.

"Sir, sorry, but there something I want do." she said to Krocken

Krocken noticed the situation out of the corner of his eye, and replied. "Don't be too long. We don't want to draw attention."

She rushed over to the Shrykes and spoke to one of them, hopefully to solve things peacefully and without chaos.. "Uh, excuse me, but how much is he?"

The Shryke turned, her sharps eyes narrowed. "Him? He's not cheap, this piece of meat. At least 500 gold." She replied, clacking her beak

"WHAT?" Ibuki cried. "That's an outrage, both the price, and the fact you put monetary value on human life!"

Lawrence looked up. For too long he had been mistreated in captivity, but now, this young girl was standing up to him. In addition, Lawrence found her quite… attractive.

The Shryke scoffed. "Well, business is business, so either pay up or get lost!"

Ibuki responded by ramming her elbow into the Shryke's gut, knocking her to the ground.

"WHY YOU-!" A tall, warrior Shryke drew her scythe and charged, Ibuki blocked her with a kunai.

"Run!" Lawrence. Cried. "Leave me! I'm nothing! Don't die for me!"

"NO!" Ibuki cried. "I won't! No matter what, you cannot throw away your freedom, or let it be taken form you. That would be a fate worse than death! Don't let your spirit break, like so many others before you have." She began to tear up.

"I…" Lawrence said, stunned but the girls resolve.

"BAH! Enough of this civil rights babble!" The Shryke raised her blade. "It's time to end-" Ibuki jumped up, and kicked the Shryke across the face, hard, knocking her out cold.

"Bitch!" Another Shryke screamed as she and others picked up their weapons. "You looking to start something?"

"No, just to end something." Ibuki smirked as she quickly began to dispatch them all, while Lawrence watched, impressed.

The commotion, which many just tried to ignore, ended with all the Shrykes in a dazed heap Ibuki swiped the keys and unlocked Lawrence's cage.

Climbing out and, he grinned. "That was real damn awesome there, Miss…?"

"Ibuki" she replied. "And you are…?"

"Lawrence." He said. "Thanks for everything you did." He kept his cloak tight, so she wouldn't see his body

Ibuki smiled. "What are you gonna do now?" she asked.

"Right now, just go into hiding and get myself back together." Lawrence said. "But I hope we can meet up again later."

"As do I." Ibuki said softly as Lawrence took his leave. Blushing, she headed off to rejoin the others.

* * *

(Lawrence is the OC of CannedMadMan66


	5. Ball of Love

**Ball of Love**

As Krocken, Zero, Flynn, Isaac, Ragna, and Ibuki made their way to the clinic, they glanced out of the corner of their eyes to look at the town around them while trying not to draw too much attention.

The town was a mess, simply put. The markets had little food available, the houses were ramshackle in condition, and the citizens, while trying to go along their daily lives, had a certain fear and paranoia in their eyes, like they were always being watched...which wouldn't surprise Krocken

The only reprieve the people seem to get was that of a large, asymmetric cathedral the group passed up. Mainly black in color, it was constructed out of stone, with blood-red glass windows, and numerous gargoyles decorated the building.

The people who came out seemed to look much better than others citizens, and had some had food with them. However, there was something about the cathedral that Krocken found…unnerving, but he wasn't sure what.

Deciding to focus on other things, he soon found himself in front of what appeared to be a Chinese-styled clinic. Realizing this must be the place, he and his team went inside.

A young dark-skinned girl quickly greeted them with a smile. "Hello, and welcome to the clinic. I'm Linhua, assistant to Miss Faye-Ling,"

"She here, by any chance." Isaac asked.

"Yeah, but she's… unwinding a bit." Linhua replied with a small frown.

"Oh, don't worry, it's nothing major. We just want a small favor from her. A friend recommended her to us for something." Krocken said.

Linhua was a bit confused, but she felt it wouldn't hurt to help them with something. She smiled again. "OK, then, I'll go fetch her for you." She walked off into another room.

As soon as she was gone, the group began to loosen their trader clothes up a bit.

"Kaiju, this stupid wig is itchy." Krocken growled as he removed it, along with his hat. "I should've known better than to trust Sora's judgment. He should know raptors don't even have hair! Talk about dense!"

"Yeah, it least it doesn't mess up overall appearance. " Flynn said as he removed his false beard and eye patch.

Zero grunted as he removed Ragna's coat from himself.. "Dang it, how can you wear this all day?" He asked Ragna.

"Size difference." Ragna said as he removed the Spectacle of Eros, while earning a scowl from his commander. "But you'll get use to it." He rubbed his head. "But these clothes are crappy."

"Aw, man." Ibuki tried to get comfortable in her shoes, but failed. "This is why I like going barefoot.

"Don't worry, guys." Krocken said. "It'll just be a little longer before-" he stopped when he saw his crew had paused and were looking behind him wide-eyed. He turned to see a shocked Linhua. "Uh…"

"I- I've seen you before." Linhua said in shock.

"Aw, crap." Ragna muttered.

"From posters!" Linhua continued. "You're the pirate, Captain Krocken!"

Krocken paled as Zero tried to salvage the situation. "Look, all we really want is-"

Litchi suddenly came barging in, and judging by the smell of her breath and her mannerism, she'd been hitting the sake bottles-a lot

"Oh, hello there!" she greeted cheerfully, utterly oblivious to the recent exchange that occurred.

"Litchi, these people are-" Linhua tried to say.

"-The perfect ones to cosplay my new outfits." Litchi finished.

"…What?" Isaac asked in utter confusion.

"People from the neighboring kingdoms just dropped off some clothes for me for no real reason other than they felt like it." Litchi explained

"You all right, doc?" Linhua asked.

"I'm feeling great!" Litchi said. "Now, please help our guest back to the dressing room and show them the latest fashion."

"…OK then." Linhua said, sweating a bit.

She escorted the befuddled Krew to the back room, while the drunken doctor remained ignorant of their true identities

* * *

Soon, the crew was all decked out in new clothes.

Krocken was wearing a combat uniform, with boots, head rag, and cargo boots.

Zero found himself in an outfit similar to a Stormtrooper, much to his embarrassment.

Isaac was in a monk's robe, while Flynn wore a rock star outfit.

Ibuki enjoyed her schoolgirl outfit, admiring herself in the mirror.

Ragna… was dressed in a eared hooded outfit liked Tao's, and he smoldered in cold rage as the others (and Linhua) suppressed their laughter.

"Oh, you all look so great!" Litchi beamed. "Especially the school-girl!"

"Uh, it's cool and all." Krocken said. "But I need a favor. I was wondering if you have any fancy clothes for that ball up at the castle."

"Yes, and please hurry." Ragna groaned. "Spare my dignity."

"Aw, but you look so cute!" Flynn teased.

"You little-" Ragna tried to advance, but Isaac held him back. "Easy now. Ragna. We don't want to start a commotion." Ragna sighed as he backed down

"But of course I do!" Litchi suddenly answered. "In fact, by the time I'm done, you shall be the stars up there!"

30 minutes later…

The Krew were all dressed in fancy formal wear, perfect for the ball.

"It all so perfect on you!" Litchi said in joy.

Krocken smiled. "I thank you, Miss Litchi, very deeply."

"It was nothing." Litchi said. "It's been so long since I could do service for someone. It means so much to me."

"You know, doc." Ibuki said. "You should try to expand on this business of clothes when you can."

Litchi thought for moment, until Flynn came up with a bag of money. "Here ya go, for your troubles."

Litchi looked startled. "Oh, that's so nice, but I can't accept this much money! We've only just met."

"Come on, you could use it." Krocken said. "You have better use for it anyways." He turned. "Well, we'd better be off"

"Wait!" Litchi said. "I never got your name!"

Krocken let out a very small smile. "Just keep your eyes on the sea, look for the Snake's Gem, and you'll know." He said as he left.

Linhua raised and eyebrow._ "Guess they aren't bad people after all, but what did that mean?"_ she thought.

* * *

Krocken and the others expected they had to walk to the castle from the clinic, but outside, they saw a surprising sight.

A black carriage was waiting from them, pulled by two Great Jaggi and driven by a Felineko named Beluga.

A man was waiting for them by the doors. He was pale-skinned, with pointed ears, red eyes, and long blue hair. He wore dark clothing, notably a long cape over his shoulders.

He gave a small smile. "Good evening, lady and gentlemen. Me and my friend have come to escort you to the ball."

"How did you know we were even here?" Isaac asked.

"Lets just say you've caught the interest of a friend of mine in the higher powers." Magus said.

Earlier, in fact, Gresh, on his rounds, had seen the exchange between Ibuki and the slavers, and was impressed. He asked the nearby Opera of their destination, and he relayed that information back to Magus.

"In addition, I will see to it that your excess clothes are sent back to your ship." Magus said as the opened the doors to the carriage.

"All right" Krocken said. "We'll take this offer, as it seems very convenient to us."

"Wait," Isaac whispered. "Can we really trust this guy? He seems a bit weird.

"Oh, come on, it's a free ride. "Flynn whispered back. "That's pretty awesome."

"Yeah, and we're acting suspicious ourselves." Zero muttered. "Just let the captain handle this."

"So, shall we be off?" Magus asked.

"Indeed we shall, sir." Krocken said as they boarded.

"Please, just call me Magus." Magus said with a smile.

Once aboard, Beluga stirred the Jaggi up, and they headed to the castle.

During the travel, Krocken looked out the window to look at the sad state of the town once again. Magus noticed this and sighed.

"Pity, isn't it? This place was once so great and prosperous, and now it's reduced to a near mud hole. Nothing like it used to be."

"What do you mean?" Krocken asked.

Magus looked out. "When I was young, I lived out in the village with my mother, father, and younger sister. It was poor, but much nicer than now." He paused, before continuing. "I had some close friends, and we all spared and fought together in hopes we could become knights of the court one day. That dream would soon come true."

"Heh, funny how life works like that." Krocken said.

"Indeed it is." Magus agreed. "The queen back then was an echidna named Tikal, a benevolent, fair ruler. She knighted me and the others, and we proved ourselves to be great warriors of the court. My family was also allowed in."

He frowned. 'Sadly, shortly after we came in, my parents were stricken by a terrible disease, and they passed away. So even though we had the comfort of royal livening… we lost those close to us. My sister was devastated, as was I, but I vowed to continue as a warrior, in order to project. I rapidly rose through the ranks until I became a high-ranking officer, ready to protect my nation and people."

"…Bet your parents would have been proud of you." Krocken said with a small, but sad smile."

"As was Tikal." Magus said. "But the current queen is less than pleased with me."

"What happened to the previous queen?" Ibuki asked.

Magus sighed. "You all know of the War of All Nations, correct?"

"Of course." Ragna said. "It was a world-wide conflict that fractured many nations and families apart. Many of us lost our homes, friends and families as well."

"Yes, it is truly sad." Magus continued. "During the war, the queen fell ill with an unknown disease. She offered me to lead the Navy. I accepted, but I soon discovered that it was more horrific than either me or the queen had realized. If she had known, she would not have sent me out there."

He sighed. "I survived, only by doing terrible things, and my friends were lost. My sister, thankfully, stayed in safety to help the queen. However, when I returned, Tikal had passed away, and Neyla had taken over." He looked down. "She soon tried to get me back out there to obtain more wealth for herself. When I refused to do this unjust mission, I was stripped of my rank and awards. She allowed me and my sister to stay in the castle, though, provided one of us became an experiment for a new breed of super-solider."

"No offense, but was that…you?" Flynn asked.

Magus nodded. "I didn't always look like this, a monster. I was born a fairly typical human like my sister" He frowned. "I knew I had to protect her, so I volunteered. Neyla's scientist, Mutran, took me and tortured me to become more powerful, warping my body in the process. He succeeded in that, but I held on into my will, so he soon let me go, yet my sister was still spared."

Isaac looked horrified. "But…how can anyone just treat you like you were nothing but a lab rat?" he asked.

Magus scowled. "Mutran is a brilliant being, but his cruelty and madness knows no bounds. His partner, Relius Clover, is just as intelligent, and with even less compassion and empathy."

"That's…comforting." Krocken winced. "But you sure you should be talking about it. The driver may be listening."

Magus smiled. "Beluga can be trusted. He has no love for the current queen. He is a great mech warrior, ready to serve the common good…if only he had better people skills." He chuckled.

"By the way," Zero cut in. "What about your village?"

Magus sighed. "It is in terrible shape, but Neyla will not let me help them, unless I wish to see my sister burn. She thinks I have better things to do."

"That's awful!" Ibuki gasped.

"Yes, but I feel somewhat better now that I have shared it with you." Magus admitted with a tiny smile.

Krocken was lost in thought. So the queen, Neyla, was responsible for this mess. But why would she do it? What could she gain from it? But the knowledge the some nobles also had problems with the queen seemed to lighten his heart.

It wasn't long before they reached the castle gates., where many party-goes had gathered. A Skrall, Branar, came up to the carriage. "Identify yourselves." He ordered roughly

Beluga spoke up. "Magus and some personal company are aboard. "He said.

Branar glared. "Magus, he's clear, but is the 'company' on the list?" He asked.

Magus spoke this time. "The queen will be fine with the fact that I brought my own invited guests along."

Branar thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Go on ahead."

The crew stepped out and the gathered nobles nearby cheered at the new, fancy-looking arrivals. Flynn and Ibuki basked in the adoration, while Ragna and Isaac averted their eyes. Krocken and Zero managed to keep their cool, on the other hand.

Magus gestured to their location. "Welcome to the castle of Aquarius. Please follow me and enjoy yourselves." He said as he led the Krew in.

* * *

Inside the main hall, nobles from the four major kingdoms were having an extravagate time, blind to the ulterior motives of Neyla.

Speaking of which, the queen, along with Jafar, Iago, and Gothel, were sitting in a private area along with the three other rulers; Rachel Alucard of the Scorpio, with her aides, Nago, Gii, and Valkenhayn; Princess Celestia of Equestria; and Raphael Sorel of Argus.

Neyla smiled as she sipped some wine. "Why don't you all enjoy yourselves on the lovely wine that was so kindly donated to us by the vineyards and tavern owners."

"I prefer tea, to be honest." Rachel said in her usual dry voice, leaning back on Nago while Valkenhayn poured some tea for her.

"I'll have some, your majesty." Celestia said as she took some wine, all while having a… nagging feeling about Neyla.

Neyla grinned. "I'm so glad to have you all here, to be honest."

"It's always a treat to have a gathering of great rulers." Jafar added with a snake-like smile as Gothel laughed.

Rachel smirked. "True, but I must says it seemed a bit rushed to get here. Didn't even have time to observe to so-called beauty of the kingdom."

"It was a bit hurried." Celestia admitted. "I did want to see how things work around here.'

"Come now, you tow, this is a grand ball." Neyla replied. "I would not want you to miss it, and neither did my subjects, who have also looked forward to this."

Rachel and Celestia said nothing. They were always wary of Neyla: She always acted so nice and open, but sometimes it felt like a fly dealing with a spider, being drawn into something dangerous. Lacking any concrete evidence, however, they made no accusation at the moment.

Raphael smiled casually. "Ladies, you all need to relax at the moment, and just enjoy this night and all the luxury we deserve."

"Thank you, Raphael." Neyla said. "Now then, I should begin to give out the reason for the gathering tonight?"

"And that is…?" Celestia asked.

"It is time for me to give back as part of the alliance." Neyla replied. "After all, my immense wealth should be able to provide for it."

"Oh, my." Rachel said smugly. "We thought you would have a hard time paying up because of lost funds." She frowned. "So, what do you have?"

"It's like this." Neyla began, deciding to ignore the subtle insult. "The War of All Nations left behind total chaos and anarchy. Although many of us recovered, some took advantage of the situation and went rogue, becoming pirates and plaguing the seas." She scowled. "I decided to remedy that, and we a reaching a breakthrough."

"A solution to piracy. What would that be?" Celestia asked.

"Two things." Neyla smirked. "One is my powerful navy, which will be essential for crushing pirates. The second is a skilled, fierce commander, something my top researchers are looking into." She grinned. "All I ask for is your trust and cooperation, and everything will be perfect."

"You can count me in!" Raphael said, always the ambitious one. He was no stranger to dirty deeds, and could smell one right now. It excited him, and he was ready to be with Neyla until the very end.

Neyla smiled, and then stood up to speak to the crowd. "Attention, please?" she commanded as all fell silent. "I thank you all for coming to this event. It please me to say that our alliance has made sure our world has not completely descended into madness. But, alas, chaos still remains in the sea in the form of piracy, and we all share a common fear in them. But fear not, for I am developing a fine warrior, one that will destroy all chaos and lead to an age of order!"

The people called and cheered…well, most did anyways.

Krocken and his group, having come in earlier, clapped, but only to avoid drawing attention. They felt Neyla was ignorant of the nature of some pirates. Sure, they were some cruel rouges, like the Skakdi race (actually, nobody really like those guys) but he and the others became pirates just to fill in the gaps the war left them with. They were all either soldiers and warriors in the past, or those who had lost everything and had nowhere left to go. This was their only option. Neyla's attitude caused their blood to boil.

Luffy watched the exchange as well, along with Boa, Gresh, Ventor, and Nojiko. Dismay was written on their faces, as they sensed the hypocrisy of the queen.

"Bunch of crap, ain't it?"

Luffy and the others turned to see the castle engineer, Red, approach them, along with Elh (whom he was lovers with) his sister, Chocolat; and Chocolat's bodyguard, Omega.

"Yeah." Ventor agreed. "But pirates do have the potential of being a threat." he admitted.

"But they can't be all bad." Chocolat argued. "I heard of one pirate who holds honor in high regard and fights for the oppressed."

"I did hear about a guy like that…besides Luffy." Boa said as Luffy gave a small smile. "But I don't remember the name."

"Eh, maybe we'll remember later." Nojiko said with a shrug.

Elh looked around. "By the way, where's Lady Palutena?" she asked.

"She said she was getting some of the girls ready for the dance coming soon." Gresh said. "Buzzsaw created an elaborate piece called 'Waltz for the Moon' and Neyla expects many of the girls to dance to it."

"…Sound like nice piece, actually." Elh admitted.

Neyla spoke up again. "For now, just enjoy yourselves as Hagi performs his self made solo."

Applause was met as Hagi took a seat and began a stirring melody with his cello.

"Hey, guy's not bad." Flynn said, as Ragna nodded.

Neyla choose the moment to look for members of her court. She saw Charming flirting with some ladies, while Klubba and Hun slept in their chairs. Mutran and Relius were sitting together, working on some notes for the experiment. Magus sat idly, just listening to the music. Merveille had joined Beluga in quiet discussion. Dimentio was in the shadows, grinning to himself as he flipped a coin.

Meanwhile, at the food table, Luffy, to deal with his frustration, began to stuff his face was all sorts of food, drawing some odd looks from others.

Boa came up to him. "Luffy, must you gorge yourself like that in front of everybody? You're gonna get a stomach ache!"

"Just… full of rage." Luffy muttered. 'Must eat to divert anger."

"You're making a scene!" Boa snapped.

Luffy tried to ignore the angry faces as best as he could, until a voice spoke to him.

"So, guess the food's pretty good."

Boa and Luffy turned to see someone they have never seen before; Krocken, wearing a fancy black suit, had approached them, holding a plate of his own.

"Er- you could say that, sir." Luffy said.

"Well, no problem with it myself, it it's tasty." Krocken said with a shrug as he moved ont o gather food

"What an odd figure." Boa remarked to herself, but shrugged it off and just helped herself to some food.

Zero, meanwhile, had poured himself a glass of wine. As he tasted it, he muttered to himself. "Huh, not bad at all."

The he heard a female voice speak to herself. "This wine is so good, but the knowledge that is was stolen fills it with bitterness."

Zero turned to see a beautiful young girl, eighteen years old or so, with long blond hair and a light-blue dress, looking down at her glass.

"You say something?" he asked.

"Eh?" She looked startled when she realized someone was speaking to her. He was handsome Reploid, probably some traveler.

"I thought I heard you say something about this wine?" Zero asked.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just say things out loud to myself often." Ciel admitted.

Zero paused, then spoke. "So, you're a noblewoman of the kingdom, correct?"

Ciel nodded. "You noticed my colors. Yes, I live in this kingdom as a noble. Not all cracked up to be though."

"Can't argue with that." Zero said. "But to be honest, I think you look a little young to be called a noblewoman." He smiled.

Ciel blushed. "Thank you! It's just sometimes my mentor wishes me to act on my lessons she taught me."

Zero continued chatting with Ciel, growing interested in her as they did. Initially, he thought he could get some insight on Neyla, but he decided to wait till later and enjoy himself with this smart and beautiful girl.

* * *

"So, what exactly happened?" Relius asked his partner casually

Mutran looked up from his notes. "While I was out overseeing the gathering of our guests, some of the Shrykes came up to me and demanded a refund!" he scowled. "Apparently they were attacked before they left port, and the failure got loose. They demanded me to find him or pay them back."

"What did you say?" Relius asked.

"I told them that it was no longer our concern. It was their loss and carelessness. They got angry, so I had them escorted out of the grounds." Mutran replied.

"Just as well." Relius replied with a shrug. "He is no longer any value to us, and we already received our payment." He smiled as he looked up. "Of course, he may try to come back and attempt vengeance."

Mutran grinned darkly. "If he does, for some idiotic reason, return, I won't be a nice as I was before! Nothing shall be left of him but a bloody smear!"

* * *

Palutena and Pit soon arrived to the hall, dressed in elaborate outfits. With them were Schala, Noel, Mia, and Rapunzel, with Mia convinced to take time off to enjoy herself. All the girls were dressed in light blue outfits, with their hair let down to flow freely (except, for obvious reasons, Rapunzel, who had it all in a bundled ponytail).

Mia shuddered. "I-I'm not sure if I can go through with this!" she gasped.

"Oh, come on." Rapunzel urged. "You look great!"

"Easy for you to say!" Mia said, red. "I never done anything like this before!"

"There's always a first time." Schala said. "This can be it."

"Now, girls." Palutena said. "We can't stress Mia out like this. I want you all to have fun and make some new connections."

"Yeah," Pit said. "Bunch of other people here now. Maybe you'll find someone you like."

Somewhat at ease, the four girls scattered into the crowd, just as Hagi finished up his solo, which was met with applause.

"Thank you, Hagi." Neyla said as Hagi bowed and walked down. "Next, Buzzsaw will now conduct a very fine piece he worked hard on. I would recommend to find a partner do dance with. In fact, try and find a significant other."

The four girls (as did many others) heart rates increased at this, especially Mia and Noel. Not only did they need a partner now, but someone they could share their hearts with. They didn't think they were ready for this. Talk about a pushy queen.

Hagi, on the other hand, found himself approached by a red Saya.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Saya sighed. "I know I don't act like this very often, but…will you have this dance with me?" she asked.

Hagi let out an extremely rare smile. "Of course." He said.

"Oh, t-thank you." Saya sad as the two made their way to the dance floor, along with Karl and Diva, who were standing not far off. Saya felt at ease and happy whenever Hagi smiled. It was his way of making her happy.

As Red and Elh headed out, Boa made her move on Luffy. "Say Luffy," she began, an he turned to her. "Wanna be my partner tonight?"

"Uh, sure thing.' Luffy said, oblivious to her ulterior motives as he let himself be dragged to the floor. "See ya, guy." He called to Krocken.

Krocken waved him off. He himself had a...distinct lack of dancing skills, and even if he did, who would pick him of all people? In addition, he had not learned much on Neyla and her schemes with Aquarius-whatever they were. He turned back for some food.

Schala, meanwhile, was in a hurry. She was trying to find a good partner to dance with, but one look into the eyes of all the male nobles made it clear the had their eyes on her for the wrong reasons. _"Ugh, how can these low-lives consider themselves nobles? More like pigs in a gutter"_ She told herself angrily. She was just about to go ask her brother for a dance with she bumped into someone at the food table.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry, I-" she stopped when she saw the figure.

It was a rare species, a dark purple veleciraptor, marked with red stripes. She had no hate or prejudice against anthromorphic creatures: She was just startled to see such a rare species here. She did watch her step, though: The raptor species were said to be a proud and fierce race.

He turned to her. "It's no problem." he said simply. However (even though his face hid all thoughts) when he looked at the girl before him, Krocken couldn't help but feel... enamored. She was a strikingly beautiful girl, with a waterfall of bright blue hair and radiant eyes. He felt something he thought he would never feel ever since…that day.

"I'm sorry if I offended you." Schala continued, drawing him back into attention. "It's just I'd never thought to see such a rare species, especially somewhere like here."

"This can be the first day." Krocken replied ith a slight smile.

"Heh, I guess so." Schala laughed.

Then, acting on pure impulse, Krocken stared at her. 'Would you…like to dance?" he asked.

Schala looked surprised. "That actually would be nice, but your posture is-" Krocken suddenly stood in a straighter, more upright position, showing his impressive size and muscles. "Oh, why certainly."

The rest of the crew noticed Krocken leading Schala out to the floor, and, after being initially startled that he would actually dance with a girl, decided to join in as well. Zero was the first, turning to Ciel.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Of course!" Ciel replied, blushing.

As Zero took Ciel's hand and lead her out, both felt their hears flutter, as neither of them felt this way before.

As Ventor went out with Nojiko, Flynn watched his two comrades with slight envy. "Aw, man, the captain and his 2nd mate both got partners before me? That sucks!" he muttered. "I'm the best looking guy here!"

"Oh, really?" a female voice, heavy with sarcasm, spoke from behind, whereas Flynn was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and spun around.

Finding himself face-to-face to Rapunzel he grinned. "Of course, sweet thing."

"Maybe you are." Rapunzel admitted with a smirk. "But how good are you a dancer?"

"You couldn't find a better guy." Flynn said smugly.

"Prove it." Rapunzel said as she dragged him out.

Mia, meanwhile, was still having trouble finding a suitable partner. She was further distressed when she saw her friends had partners already.

"Oh, what I'm gonna do? Schala and Rapunzel already have partners!"

Just as she started to get flustered, a young, blond-haired boy her age came up to her in a shy manner. "Um, hi." He began, taking in her beauty "I couldn't help but notice you looking lost like me, and I think you're kind cute, so…wanna dance?" he asked nervously.

Mia, herself drawn to Isaac, smiled. "Oh, certainly. That would mean a lot!" she said as they went out.

While this was going on, Jin was sitting at the side, wearing his elaborate admiral clothing. Unlike the others, he was in a foul mood, his glare fixated on Noel Vermillion, who was still searching for partner.

Jin hated her completely. Even with her hair let down and extremely beautiful azure dress, he still found her disgusting.

Initially, he couldn't quite understand why she made his blood boil, but he soon figured it out: She reminded him of his despised sister, Saya.

When he was a child, and his birth parents alive, he lived with her and his older brother, Ragna. He was always dependent on his brother, and was angry when his sister got more attention.

When the War of All Nations broke out, his homeland where invaded by the Jiralhanae, led by their chieftain, Tartarus. The race had come in search of resources to aid in the war effort. They killed anyone in their search on the land, Jin's parents included.

The Navy eventually arrived, and the three siblings were still lucky enough to be alive to be rescued. Saya, however, was a sickly child, and was in no condition to travel overseas. Jin thought of ditching her and leaving with his brother, but Ragna refused, opting to stay behind and help his sister, even though it would be nothing short of suicide to do so. Jin, having no other choice, left them behind. He never saw them since, and he believed them both dead, slaughtered by the Brutes.

Jin always blamed his sister for that, making Ragna stay behind so that they would both die, leaving him with no family. Now Noel's presence reminded him of Saya, and it infuriated him.

He was just about to go and launch a verbal assault on her when two things stopped him.

The first was the fact that Palutena saw him glaring at Noel, and had fixed an icy gaze upon him. In the past, when he horribly insulted Noel many times, Palutena would show him just how easily limbs could be twisted. He soon knew better than to get on her bad side, and had to suppress his anger.

The second was hand placed softly on his shoulder and Tsubaki's voice. "Jin, don't take it out on her. She's my friend." She explained. "Just relax and come dance with me."

"What? For real?" Jin asked in hope as he gazed at Tsubaki, her hair down and her dress radiant.

"Of course, I wouldn't want anyone else" Tsubaki said as they walked out.

Noel was still looking, when she saw tall man with white-silver spiky hair standing against the wall, looking alone. She noticed he had handsome features, and he seemed so lonely, so she approached him in hopes for a dance. "Um, excuse me?"

Ragna looked up at Noel, and looked startled. _"What? Saya? I thought she-"_ He took a closer look at Noel. _"No, wait. She's different. But she just looks so much like her…."_

"Hello?" Noel voice cut his thoughts short.

"Wha- Oh, hello." Ragna replied.

"I… couldn't help but notice you look alone and sad." Noel said. "How can someone s handsome and well-dressed not have a partner?"

Flustering, Ragna managed to reply, "I-I can't…d-dance." He admitted.

"Neither can I." Noel said with a small giggle. 'But it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Huh?" Ragna stared in confusion.

"Come on, silly, let's dance!" Noel took his hand and led him out. Ragna just went with it, finding the girl rather pretty and strong.

When all dancers where on the floor, Buzzsaw turned to the orchestra from his perch, a baton in his claw.. "All right, now we begin AS PRACTICED!" he said the last part sternly, as he was still fuming over the shoddy work of some of them a few days ago. He had taken care of them, of course, and made them example of failures.

The orchestra prepped their instruments, and began to play 'Waltz for the Moon' and the dance began.

Krocken and Schala found themselves in the center of the floor, dancing together. Krocken awkwardly tried to keep claws at good distance, but Schala stuck close to him.

"Don't be so worrisome." She told him. "Let's just enjoy this."

"Yeah," Krocken admitted. "You're right. "

She saw more in him than any of the sycophants in the kingdom. He seemed like someone who truly… cared. Yet there seemed to be something inside him…a lost soul, perhaps? She wasn't sure, but now was not the time to ask. She just wanted to dance.

With Isaac and Mia, they were rather…slow as well.

"J-just take baby steps, now." Isaac said nervously.

"Y-yeah." Mia said. "Just do w–what everyone else is doing!"

So nervous were they acting, they bumped right into Ragna and Noel.

"H-hey!" Ragna said, feeling that he looked bad now. "Careful, now!" he said to Isaac.

"Sorry, just nervous!" Isaac replied.

Noel just pulled Ragna way. "Come on, let's continue." she insisted with a smile, nodding at Mia for good luck. "Have fun, you two."

"Well, that was awkward." Ragna said with a red face.

"Just follow my lead." Noel replied as she led the dance on.

With Rapunzel and Flynn, they were a little better.

"You're pretty good." He said... to a nearby Hagi.

"Tanks!" Rapunzel replied unaware of who he was talking to.

Hagi noticed (Saya did not) and spoke to Flynn, "Yes, I have been taught by the very best." He replied.

"I… know that already." Saya said, confused.

"But my looks still outmatch yours." Flynn retorted smugly.

"…What's that supposed to mean?" Rapunzel asked, confused.

At that moment, Hagi and Flynn paused, and their partners saw the issue between the two. Hagi smirked. "I am content with my features. Your judgment means you are not content with your own."

"I-geh!" Flynn could only sputter, beat as his own game.

"Come on, forget about it!" Rapunzel said as they danced off.

"Yes, let's dance." Saya said, both girls finding the situation funny.

With Ventor, Red, Elh, and Nojiko…

"So, Red, not every day we see our lovers like this." He mused.

Red smirked. "Yeah, they always try to act like boys so hard that they-"

"Shut up." Elh said with a smirk.

"You too, Ventor." Nojiko teased.

"Aw, you two are no fun." Ventor said as they continued.

Neyla and the others watched the procession as it went along. "The ladies had found some extraordinary partners." Jafar mused.

"Perhaps." Gothel said. "But I'm not sure about the one with my child."

"Eh, it won't last." Neyla said with a shrug.. "They never do."

Raphael stared at Schala's partner. "You know, I think I may have seen him somewhere before, but I can't remember where." He said.

"I'm sure it's noting significant." Rachel said dryly, sipping her tea.

Neyla remained silent, her eyes fixed on the raptor. Something about him…

Ciel and Zero were having their times of their lives. Ciel was light on her feet, feeling like a princess for the first time in her life as she and Zero danced so gracefully. Zero, feeling the beat of the dance, let out a rare smile. He never felt this happy for a long time.

Jin and Tsubaki had to be the most beautiful couple on the floor. Tsubaki's dress swept across the floor and Jin's suit tails spun with him as they danced with mass energy. They both smiled (a rare thing for Jin) and they forgot about their troubles for now and enjoyed the moment. Many people watching were surprised that they weren't even married yet, given the beauty and brightness they portrayed.

The Waltz came to close, with Krocken and Schala ending in the middle, surrounded by the others, finishing with one last spin as the audience applauded. Krocken and Schala smiled to each other, finding each to be a fine dancer, surprising themselves as well

It was not meant to last, however. Relius, still on the sidelines, watched as the girls danced with complete strangers. Most he paid no heed to, but one caught his eye.

"Mutran, look at Schala's partner." He said.

Mutran looked up to see what he partner was talking about. His eyes narrowed at Krocken. "A raptor at her majesty's ball?" he frowned. "They don't usually come in that color. You don't suppose…"

"Indeed I do." Relius replied with a dark grin as he summoned Ignis and set her into stealth mode. Mutran grinned madly as he took out a remote and pressed some buttons on it, which would prime Cardiac from even here.

Things were about to get ugly.

Outside the post, underwater…

The six mechanical figures swam along the side of the post, searching for something, while keeping out of sight.

Eventually, they came across a grate-covered pipe that was the main waterway for the entire kingdom.

One of the figures gripped the grate and wrenched it off, allowing him and the others to swim through the pipeline.

The castle was just ahead, and profit was waiting.


	6. Fancy to Furious

**Fancy to Furious**

"Come on, she's got be around here somewhere."

Lawrence sighed as he scaled along the walls of the castle, doing his best to keep out of sight of patrolling Skrall. He gritted his teeth as his claws dug into the walls for support as he thought on why he had returned

While hiding out earlier, he noticed Ibuki, along with several others, entering a carriage to the castle while dressed up in nice clothes. Knowing the sheer amount of cruelty of Neyla, Relius, Mutran, and many others were capable of, he feared what would happen if Ibuki was victim to it. She would be eaten alive!

So, in what most people would consider poor judgment and defying common sense (while others may consider it bravery), Lawrence had returned to the castle. He knew the corrupt nobles inside would likely rip him apart if they saw him, but he had no fear of them.

Besides, he owned Ibuki, for freeing him and…to be honest, he was quite smitten by her. She was quite beautiful and intelligent, something that had drawn him in.

He frowned suddenly. That may be true, but what would her reaction be when she saw what Mutran and Relius did to him. Would she reject him, terrified at what he'd become?

He sighed and crawled under a balcony, about to continue when he heard something…

* * *

On that same balcony, Ibuki, having left the crowd earlier, had kicked off her uncomfortable shoes and taken up staring up into the stars.

She was happy to see her friends connect well with others, but it still left her with a sad and lonely feeling in her heart.

Back in her home, she was a loved and respected woman of her clan, and one of the ninjas fell for her, and she retunred the feeling greatly.

It was all torn from her during the War, however. The Shrykes had invaded, and during the initial defense, her love was among the ones killed, torn to pieces by the savage creatures. She did escape, although the left heartbroken.

Ibuki felt tears begin to form, and quickly wiped them away, but they kept coming back, and she almost wanted to cry about the past memory.

"Are you all right?"

Ibuki nearly jumped and turned. Palutena was there, alone, with a look of concern on her face. She also had sense of fascination for Ibuki.

"Oh, y-yes, I'm fine." Ibuki said quickly. "I just need to leave the crowd for a bit."

"It can be quite overwhelming at times." Palutena admitted. "That's also why I left, in addition to the fact I saw you leave, looking a little sad."

"So you followed me to talk a little?" Ibuki asked.

"Sure." Palutena said. "I couldn't help but notice how lonely you looked. I find is shocking that no one asked such an attractive girl like you to a dance."

Ibuki blushed as she smiled. "I dunno, maybe I just don't strike their fancy." She said softly. "Maybe I'm not as pretty as many say."

Palutena raised an eyebrow. "How can you have such low self-confidence?" she said with a sigh. She seemed to be just like Mia and Noel: Girls with great potential, yet a little low in believing in themselves.

Ibuki sighed. "It's like this: I love all my friends dearly, but that's as far as it gets, just to friends. But it always feels like someone will always be missing from my heart."

"That's why I think you should take this chance to try and pursue a relationship!" Palutena insisted with concern and sympathy. "This is the perfect time for it!"

Ibuki thought about that. She remembered the past, crying as she was rescued from her attacked village by Krocken and Hakumen, the fate of her beloved fresh in her mind. Her home, when she returned later, was razed to the ground, her people killed or sold away. Despaired, and with nowhere left to turn, just like the others, she turned to piracy.

Ibuki returned to the conversation. "Nothing good ever lasts these days, ever since the War." She said.

Palutena was silent for a moment. She sensed that underneath Ibuki's exterior was a painful past and a broken heart. She decided not to push it any further.

* * *

Lawrence, directly beneath them, was stunned. He heard Ibuki, and realized something awful had happened to her. She sounded like she lost…everything

Worse, it hurt her to see her low self-confidence. She was so beautiful, so smart…whatever happened must have been a major low to her. She was afraid to love in case of losing it again.

Lawrence wanted t go right up there and confess how he felt right then and there. But then he remembered his condition, and his heart sank. How could she accept something like him, twisted by the experiments of two madmen?

He gritted his teeth and just hung there.

* * *

Back in the ball, the people had now all over about the room, talking with one another, while an extremely smug Buzzsaw smiled as he watched the effects of his work. It was perfect, as he always strove for.

Ragna, meanwhile, despite some nervousness, worked up enough confidence to speak with Noel.

"So…how are things here?" he asked, trying to strike something up.

Noel smiled sadly. "It's all right here a bit." She sighed. "But I miss my family at times."

"What happened to th-" Ragna cut himself off, realizing it wasn't the best thing to talk about. "UH…never mind, sorry."

"Oh, it's nothing." Noel smiled. "You couldn't have known."

Ragna smiled slightly, then, out of a desire to impress, asked a question. "Hey, I was just wondering… would you like to see our ship?" he asked.

He cursed to himself internally as soon as he said that. That had got to be the WORST pick-up line for a girl, and he expected a harsh rejection

The prospect of seeing a travelers ship excited Noel, being co0ped up at Aquarius for most of her life. "You have a ship?! I have never been on one in all my life! I'd love to see it!" she said happily.

Ragna did an inward sigh of relief and, happy she was excited, took her hand. "Al; right. Follow me."

He walked out with her, to the ship. Nobody noticed their leave, too busy speaking with one another.

Had Ragna been paying attention, he would have noticed that Isaac and Flynn had also vanished with their partners.

* * *

Branar was a bit confused on why Ragna and Noel wanted to leave, but a good tip kept him from asking questions and just doing the job.

Mounting up on the carriage that Ragna and Noel had entered, he stirred the Skeletal Horses up and rode back to port. Ragna even managed to get drinks for themselves.

It wasn't long before they reached port, where Opera and her aides were still directing arriving and leaving ships.

Upon exiting the carriage and sending Branar back, Ragna and Noel approached Opera, who turned and smiled.

"Oh, hello dumpling!" she said sweetly to Ragna. "I see you managed success at the dance, judging by sweet little Noel there!"

"Er- you could say that." Ragna stiffened as Noel blushed. "We came by so I could show her our ship."

Gren smiled. "I must admit, the vessel your group came on in is quite impressive." He gestured.

Noel turned and her eyes widened in wonder. She ship was well crafted, massive, and was designed perfectly. "Oh, it's so beautiful!" she cooed.

Ragna grinned as he led her up the ramp to the ship. "Yeah, we put a lot of work into this ship, and it served us well in our travels.' He said. "Holds up well against many things out there."

"I...don't leave the castle very much." Noel admitted. "What's out there?"

Ragna smirked. "A lot of weird things. Bad weather, losing sense of direction, angry beasts that try to eat us, and the occasional rouge sailors." He chuckled. "Few weeks ago, we ran afoul to a group of Skakdi. It was pretty messy, but kinda rad."

Noel nodded, then looked around the ship. "Um, isn't there more to the crew than just you guys who showed up." She asked.

"Oh, yeah." Ragna replied. "There on here somewhere, ship is just big, and they're around doing various tasks." He explained as they headed below deck.

"That's good." Noel said. "All these people can help lessen what sounds like a hard life." She said as they entered one the cabins.

Ragna nodded. "Yeah, it's not all fun and games." He said, as he looked up. "Though, it's the best we could do in the aftermath, becoming travelers."

Noel nodded in agreement, then suddenly couldn't help but feel a sudden chill, possibly a draft. Ragna noticed her slight shudder and, without warning, gently pulled her close.

"EH?!" Noel let out a small cry. "W-what a-are you d-doing?" he asked, flustered

"Uh, you looked a little cold" Ragna explained, also a bit flustered. :Just wanted to warm you up."

Noel could help but smile warmly. "You know, you look little rough, but you're actually very sweet."

Ragna smirked and opened his mouth to reply….

"Wow, this really is nice ship, even down below deck! You could if half the queen's army here"

Mia suddenly entered the room, followed by Isaac, who was peaking to her. "Yes, my lady. It is our pride and joy, and has served-"

"Mia?" Noel spoke up. "You came too?" she asked with a smile. "Along with a partner from the dance!"

"N-Noel?!" Mia asked in shock. "I didn't expect you to be here!"

Ragna wasn't listening to them. He turned to Isaac. "Isaac, why did you bring here aboard?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"ME?!" Isaac asked in an offended manner. "What about you?!"

"I can do it, because…I'm an adult, you're a kid!" Ragna replied, his excuse somewhat lame. "You can't go around and-"

"Hey, I'm 17, bozo!" Isaac snapped. "I can engage in my own activates without you breathing down my neck!"

"Oh, you mean turning the ship into a love house?" Ragna mocked.

"WHHAAAAAAAAT!?" Mia and Noel both cried in shock and confusion, loud enough to catch the attention of the rest of the crew aboard.

"Hey, watch it, Rags." Isaac growled. "How do I know you didn't have same thing in mind?' He looked at Noel. "And she looks a little young for you!"

"Hey, watch it, you son of a bitch!" Ragna snapped. "I never any thoughts like that, unlike a loose cannon like you!"  
"But- I'm 18!" Noel insisted, confused on what was happening.

"See?" Ragna smirked as his comrade. "Perfect age range for couples!"

"But I'm 17!" Mia insisted, and pointed to Isaac. "His exact age."

"Perfect match as well." Isaac smirked as he turned to go. "Now if you'll excu-!"

He was cut short when he tripped over something and fell flat on his face.

Mia looked down to see what he had tripped over: It appeared a long, continuous…hair?

"Rapunzel?" she called out. "Are you there?"

Rapunzel, trying to gather her hair up, came inside, followed by…

"Wha-FLYNN?!" Ragna cried in disbelief.

Flynn froze up when Ragna and Isaac saw him with Rapunzel, before he saw the other two girls. "Oh, you two got dates too! Sweet!" he patted Isaac on the shoulder. "You're your way to becoming a man."

"Really?" Ragna smirked darkly. "The type of man like you?!"

"H-hey, whaddya mean?" Flynn asked in shock. "Yu act like I'm sort of perv!"

"Maybe I am saying that, buddy!" Ragna sneered. (Rapunzel just looked confused. She saw Flynn as a very nice guy, and assumed this to be banter). Ragna continued. "How do we know you didn't have any insidious thoughts in your head."

"Whoa now." Ragna said with a smirk, raising his hands. "You get a lot of crazy ideas there!"

"Mainly because we know you." Isaac said with a glare.

"Ooooooh, and you weren't having any thoughts of your own." Flynn accused.

"He's a boy, of course he would!" Ragna laughed.

"HEY! Shut up!"

"Not until you admit your issues!"

"My issues?!" What about yours?!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"Yeah, so are you!"

"ME?! WHAT DID I DO?!"

"You were plotting!"

"I WAS NOT!"

"You liar!"

"None of you are helping!"

"We're not trying to!"

"THEN SHUT UP!"

The three girls watched blankly as the pointless and insane arguments went on and on. They were not sure what this was about, as neither of the men made any sexual advances, and were, in fact, quite nice.

None of them were aware that the other members, drawn in my commotion, had gathered. They stared, some blankly, others trying not to laugh.

Rattrap, a dangerous smile on his face, had pulled up a little camera from his arm compartment and was recording the whole thing. "Oh, captain's gonna love this!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the cliffs of the castle…

A unit of small identical robots know of Servebots, armed with picks and drills, had scaled the massive walls of rock, with their leader behind them.

Tron Bonne, riding her Gustaff mech, reared up behind them and looked the massive wall of rock in front of her. She merely smirked at this as the Servebots turned to her. No wall could keep out one of the Bonne pirates!

"Listen up!" she barked. "We got one shot at this, so DON'T botch it up! This is the golden opportunity to score some serious loot from the treasuries." She smiled. "Not only will we be forever famous, we can use the stuff to bail out Bon and Teisel outta their cells and live our lives in luxury! Now, ONWARD!"

Tron drilled a path forward into the rock, grinning madly and happily, as her Servebots supported her.

* * *

In the waterways below…

The six figures continued their swim thorough the waterways, illumination from their built-in lights guiding their ways.

These figures were a group known as the Seacons, former Decepticons turned mercenaries. They were known, during the War, for their sheer ferocity and savagery, doing whatever it takes to complete a mission, regardless of how many lives were lost. Nowadays, they worked solely for their own profit. All six were currently in beast mode to help navigate the waterways.

Seawing spoke up as they traveled. "Remember why we're here: We grab the queen, and whoever is dumb enough to be nearby, state our demands, receive them, and leave the idiot royals in shock. We can't risk wasting time to slaughter everyone there."

"Oh, I get the plan." Grumbled Nautilator (who was equipped with various devices to help him swim better, since he was a poor swimmer on his own) "What I don't get is why Skalor couldn't clean himself up for this mission." He gestured a claw to his leaking, disgusting partner. "Seriously, couldn't you at least try to hide your stench so we can catch them by surprise better?

"Piss off!" Skalor barked. "Let them smell it, and they will soon associate with fear.

"Enough, both of you." Snaptrap, their commander, said with a cold, flat voice. "We are nearing the main ballroom. We wait for the perfect moment, then we strike. Anything goes wrong, we eviscerate first, ask questions later."

None of the Seacons argued. They knew Snaptrap to be a powerful and brilliant leader, yet cruel, cold, and psychotic. Crossing him would be akin to suicide.

Still, the Seacons were ready for this, particular Overbite, who couldn't wait to turn the party into a bloodbath.

* * *

Back at the ball…

Krocken and Zero had gathered their two partners together to socialize, happy to be away from the realities of life, if only for a little bit.

"So, how's life up in the kingdom?" Krocken asked Schala, avoiding a direct question, in case of eavesdroppers.

"It's fine…" Schala said distantly, wary of any listeners. "Ciel and I lived in the castle for years now, as we had many friends and associates loyal to the former and current queen." "Before many were exiled, that is."

"That's sounds good." Zero said. "But how do the common peoples fare?"

Before either of the girls could answer, they four became aware of an approaching individual. They turned to see Relius walking towards, with a warm smile on his face.

A smile that Schala and Ciel found…eerie, knowing the man too well and what he was capable of.

"Good evening, honored guests." Relius began. "I couldn't help but notice but how elegantly you danced with her majesty's finest women. I must say is an honor to make your acquaintance."

"It's no problem sir." Krocken said calmly…also getting a rather uneasy feel from the seemingly courteous man.

Relius then looked at Krocken. "Oh, my, I almost forgot." He held out his hand. "I am Relius Clover, Colonel to her Majesty's Army and Head of the Science Department of Aquarius.

_"So that's Relius, eh?_" Krocken thought. _"One of the two nutcases Magus told me about._" But he didn't want to look too suspicious, so, somewhat reluctantly, he held out his claw and extended it…

…only to see it vanish, as if something had overlapped it. He and the others stared in shock at this.

"Hey, what the he- UGH! GAH!" he snarled in pain as he felt something metallic grip his claw tightly, drawing blood as it did so.

The grip released his claw, and Krocken pulled it back, staring in shock at Relius.

At that moment, the air behind Relius seemed to shimmer, before a large, red, mechanical doll, feminine in appearance, materialized.

"Ignis?" Ciel said in surprise, as Neyla, among others, looked at the scene with confusion." Why is she here?"

Ignis held out her claw, and a hologram of images appeared, flashing rapidly as she used her Ars and the blood to search, before the images stopped with a 'Wanted' poster, showing the face of Krocken.

Krocken gritted his teeth as Relius spoke, his smile now as dark and twisted as he was. "Oh my! What an interesting, if utterly predictable and cliché, turn of events! It seems that a _pirate_ has infiltrated our kingdom! In addition, it happens to be the _famous_ Krocken, a pirate captain!"

Gasps of fear could be heard throughout the ball, as Schala looked on in confusion. Klubba and Hun were awake in an instant as Jin, Buzzsaw, and Charming glared at the raptor.

Krocken, knowing his cover was blown, tried to calm people down while keeping himself ready. "Wait, WAIT! It's not what you th-"

"MANUS!"

Krocken wasn't sure how it exactly happened. All he did know was that a huge, mechanical fist appeared from beneath Relius and socked him-hard. Zero and Schala watched in horror as he was sent flying across the room, landing right in front of Neyla.

Neyla was on her feet in her instant, a look a pure rage on her face, while Jafar and Gothel glared angrily.. "PIRATE SCUM!" she hissed. "You dare trespass in my beloved kingdom?! Come to rape the woman and rob us blind?!" Behind her, Raphael smirked at the raptor, while Celestia looked startled, yet still composed at the same time. Rachel, on the other hand, looked totally indifferent and calm to the situation, casually sipping her tea.

"Oh, ho, calling me 'scum' and rapist, eh!?" Krocken sneered as he picked himself up. "Well, from I've gathered, you're not exactly the great ruler you lead others to believe!" Neyla's fur bristled in rage and a hint of nervousness as some of the other kingdoms patrons looked confused at the ranting raptor.

"Oh, don't let us spoil the truth, Neyla!" Zero rushed to his leader's side as Schala, Ciel, and their allies watched in amazed awe at their bravery. "We'll leave that to YOU!"

"And if you think that this ball has done you any favors, we'll you've got another thought coming to ya!" Krocken snarled. "But you know what the most ironic part of all this is? So-called 'scum' like us came to check up on things out of concern, That really says and lot and-"

"Oh, for- WOULD SOMEONE SHUT THIS LYING LIZARD UP?!" Gothel roared in fury.

"Don't worry, madam" Charming sneered as he drew a sword and charged at Krocken, who back was facing him. "I shall slay this vile beast and rid the world of another sc-"

Without even turning, Krocken's fist flew up and connected with Charming's face. Charming went rigid, before collapsing. Zero and several others just stared at the crumpled soldier.

"SIEZE THEM!" Neyla bellowed, pointed at the two pirates. "KILL THEM HERE AND NOW!" she snarled. "Those who disrespect and spread lies about me must pay!"

**(Music: Boss Battle 1, Super Smash Bros. Brawl)**

The Skrall bellowed and lunged at Krocken and Zero. Drawing their weapons, the two comrades began to beat them back while everyone watched. The Skrall, expecting an easy victory, suddenly found themselves being rapidly repelled by the skilled, powerful warriors, much to the shock of the onlookers

As the two pirates cut down the Skrall as they kept coming, Krocken noticed that they were a little short on back up. "Damn it, where's Ragna, Isaac, Flynn, and Ibuki?" he growled as he rammed his katana hilt against the head of one Skrall.

"No idea!" Zero called back as he kicked back an attacking Skrall into several others. "But we could really use them right now."

Most of the people were in panic, trying to protect themselves from the battle, and the Skrall were busy in the melee, so most people did not pay attention to what the two said…

Except for Neyla. Her eyes catching the names, she turned to an elite Skrall, Stronius, who was standing. "Ragna, Flynn, Isaac, and Ibuki. Search the castle and find ones of those names." She ordered. "And execute them on the spot!"

"At once, my lady." Stronius said as he gathered some Skrall and left he ball room. Neyla turned to see the common Skrall falling the bowling pins, and frowned. "Skrall, stand back for now! Let the elites handles this!"

Klubba, Hun, Jin, Diva, Karl, and Buzzsaw, eagerly stood and readied themselves for battle.

Pit, Red, Beluga, Magus, Hagi, Gresh, Luffy, and Ventor were also ready. Truth be told, however, none of them actually wanted to fight the pirates. They saw the genuine honor in them, and knew they could be great allies for the kingdom. However, they couldn't risk blowing their cover, along with their allies right now. So, reluctantly, they prepared themselves to fight.

However, before any action could be taken, Mutran suddenly remembered something he nearly forgot in the commotion. "Hold!" he suddenly barked, causing all the others to freeze.

"Something you wish to say to the doomed ones?" Neyla asked him.

"Not really." Mutran smirked. "I just wanted to test our project on someone, and they're a prime candidate!

Merveille, standing in the crowd, look startled. "Mutran, it's a prototype! It won't be able to-"

"It's fully functional and battle-ready." Relius cut in. "I eagerly wish to see its performance myself."

As the others stared in confusion, Jin just glared. " You would send a toy to do battle? Ridiculous!" He scoffed as he turned back to Krocken and Zero. "I shall destroy these pieces of trash myself! I don't need help from any of you louts!"

Mutran sneered. "Fine! Go ahead and fight. Don't blame me if you get caught in the wake!" With that, he pressed some buttons on a remote, which was stylized like a gauntlet around his hand.

The effects were immediate: The doors to the room burst open, and a black and green humanoid figure leapt right in with amazing agility. Tsubaki, Elh, Boa, and Chocolat quickly stepped out of its way as it skidded down the hall and stopped by Mutran. Jin gave the thing an incredulous look as Mutran spoke. "This is Project Cardiac, the result of months of research!"

"That thing?" Jin laughed. "It doesn't even have a face! What could it possibly do?" Krocken just gave the weapon a long look.

Mutran ignored him. He just pressed some buttons the remote.

Cardiac leapt forward to Krocken, and as it did, its shadow erupted into an assortment of blades and flew at Krocken.

"WHOA! What the hell?!" Krocken snarled as he beat the blades back, and shoved Cardiac away when it was close. It staggered as it was pushed backwards

Jin frowned, before whipping out Yukianesa. "All right, I think the doll is clearly broken. In that case..." He turned to Krocken and summoned a large icicle, which he mounted. "DIE!" He flew towards his foe, but, thanks to great reflexes, Krocken sidestepped it and punched Jin in the face as he flew by, knocking him to ground.

"So fast, yet so reckless." Krocken mused as Jin struggled to get up. "You still got a lot to-"

He stopped when he saw Cardiac was not only back on its feet, but had aimed its arm at him…and the arm was crackling with electricity. Cardiac fired a bolt at Krocken, stunning him, allowing Cardiac to rush in and kick him in the chest. The raptor recovered and blocked another strike with his blade, just as Jin got up and rejoined the fray.

Zero was having his own major problems. The rest of the guard had now ganged up on him, intent on overwhelming him.

But Zero was built for battle, and knew how to do this.

Backhanding Charming, who had had recovered somewhat, as he tried to sneak from behind, Zero was able to focus on the closer and more intimidating Klubba.

As Klubba swung his club, Zero shot out his chain rod, wrapping it around the club. Pulling, he wrenched the weapon away from Klubba and swung it at Hun, Red, and Beluga. Red and Beluga ducked, but Hun was hit and was sent flying backwards, running down Karl and Diva. Klubba, caught off guard, was brought down by a kick to the face.

"YOU IGNORANT OAF!" Zero turned, and managed to dodge Buzzsaw's sharp beak as tried to peck at him. "I worked hard on this event, made everything completely perfect, and you scoundrels show up to wreck it!"

"It wasn't our intent." Zero replied calmly as he tired to push the enraged Decepticon back. "Just wanted to learn some things…and dance."

"DOESN'T MATTER!" Buzzsaw screamed. "You wrecked things so anyways, and for that, I will crush you!" He let loose of volley of gunfire at his foe. However, Zero did something unexpected: he ran right trough it, dodging the bullets, and punched Buzzsaw in the gut, knocking him out of the air.

Jin snarled as he spared with Krocken, only to get disarmed and knocked back, while Cardiac resumed its deadly assault. Ice shot of its hands and it attempted to freeze his foe. Krocken scowled as he dodged the blasts, and shot out a blast of ice of his own, freezing on of Cardaic's hand. The hand frozen solid, Krocken rushed up, and shattered the arm with a blow from the hilt.

Krocken smirked at Mutran. "Bit of glass cannon ya got there. It's tough, but it shatters real-" he stopped when he noticed Cardaic's stump flexing and bubbling. Krocken stared at this, as did Jin and Mutran. Then, with a burst off flesh, the arm grew back.

Mutran laughed. "Well, it seems that the regeneration function works! Excellent!" Krocken just growled as he continued his assault.

Ventor roared as he brought his massive wolf sword down on Zero, who blocked it with his shield boomerang. He pushed the sword to the side, but Ventor struck out with a kick, staggering Zero, allowing Magus to charge in as well, intending to come in with a punch. Zero managed to rapidly recover though, and caught the blow with his own hand, while using his Saber to parry another blow from Ventor.

Elh watched this all with her friends. "This is…insane! The two of them are just so strong!"

"Are any of you sure that he's actually just a raptor?" Tsubaki asked.

"I honestly have no idea." Boa replied

Chocolat was silent, on the other hand. She was intrigued by the nature of these guys, and she wanted to learn more about them.

She had an idea on how to do it. It was stupid, something her older brother was prone to doing, but she simple couldn't restrain herself.

"Hey, Omega?" she began.

"Miss Chocolat?" the robot queried

"There's something I want you to do with me." Chocolat said with a smile.

* * *

Back on the balcony…

Ibuki and Palutena were suddenly becoming aware of the chaos down at the ballroom. Concern appeared other faces as they readied themselves to go.

"Ibuki." Palutena began. "We may have only know each other for a little bit, but it seems we have to part. I need to go and find out what's-"

SLAM

Stronius kicked open the door to the room, backed up by several Skrall. "Miss Palutena, stay away from her!" he barked.

"W-what is the meaning of this?" Palutena demanded as Ibuki paled over.

"We heard the name Ibuki. She's not a noblewoman, she's pirate." Stronius hissed as he pointed his club at Ibuki. "You're coming with us, girlie!"

Ibuki backed up as the Skrall advance. "Hold on a minute, I wasn't-" Unfortunately, she backed up too far, tripped, and fell over the railing to her supposed death.

"Oh, no!" Palutena gasped in horror as Stronius rushed up, both looking over the side to see…

…Nothing. It just like she vanished into thin air. "Huh, how is this…?" Palutena mused.

"Damn, she's still around!" Stronius cursed. "Search the area!"

The Skrall spread out though the castle, while Palutena stared in confusion over the side, until she heard something…

* * *

Ibuki thrashed against the large scaly appendage wrapped around her waist, trying to wrench free.

She was fearful that it was a stray reptilian predator, waiting for opportunity to come along to strike and-

"Shhh, they'll hear us."

That voice…Ibuki recognized it. She looked up to see Lawrence, his cloak gone and his body on full display. "It's me."

"Lawrence, it's you!" Ibuki said happily, then looked at his body. "But, what-"

Lawrence frowned in anguish. "They did this to me!" he almost cried. " I was once someone untainted, but in return for my people's safety. I agreed to become Neyla's project! She sent me to Relius and Mutran, and they tried to make me into the finest super-soldier for her army. I endured it all, just to keep them all safe. In the end, I survived, my sanity intact. Thus, they dubbed my useless and shipped me off! You saved my life then." A tear leaked from his eye. "Please, allow me to help you now, then I'll leave. No one could ever such a disgusting think like my-"

He stopped short when Ibuki came close and embrace, tears down her eyes. "All this, all the pain you went through, just to keep everyone you love safe?' she smiled. "That's so brave!" she looked up at him more. "Please, don't go. You shouldn't be ashamed at what've you become. I don't a see a monster: I see a good man who would die for his people." She said.

Lawrence faltered, before smiling himself and embracing Ibuki. "Yeah, you're right about that." He frowned. 'But now we seem to be stuck here. I can hold you, but it's kinda hard to move and-"

"Then allow me to aid with my Power of Stair-Making!"

Palutena's voice rang above them as clear, ethereal stairs appeared below the two. They blinked, then dropped own and began to run as Palutena called after them. "That's all I can do for now! Hurry before they come back!"

The two did so, both promising to repay Palutena for this sometime in the future.

"But where do we go from here?" Lawrence asked.

Ibuki, having kicked off her heels and tied her hair back up, turned to him as they ran. "We go to our ship!"

* * *

Tron burst through the cliff walls at last, and she and the Servebots found themselves by the vault door. She almost drooled at the thought of the limitless amounts of money she could earn form it.

"My brothers would be so proud of me right now!" she said to her Servebots. "Not only will I be able to set them free, but I shall ascend to rank of pirate Queen!"

"Such lofty aspirations, wench." a cold voice spoke from behind them. "Aspirations like that are doomed to crash and fall in the end, however."

Tron turned with her bots and instantly paled. Nightmare was standing there, his blade at his side. With him were his closet men, Xemnas and Xaldin, shadowy assassins who were well know for silently and quickly disposing of any usurpers to the queen.

"Wh-What?!" Tron cried. "I thought there was party up there! Why are you even down here?!"

"Someone needs to keep watch over things down here." Xemnas replied with a smirk. 'That, and we never liked those parties anyways."

Tron growled. "Never mind!" she readied her mech. "Servebots, destroy them all!"

The Bots, armed with their equipment and charged at the three, ready to defend their mistress.

In a flash, Xemnas and Xaldin had leapt over them and charged at Tron. She lifted the mechs arms up to defend herself, but Xemnas drew his ethereal blades and sliced them both off, allowing Xaldin to grab Tron and pull her out while further disabling the mech by piecing it with his lances.

The Servebots, on the other hand, were quickly taken down and scrapped by three swings of Nightmare's sword. Storming over the pile of scrap, he grabbed Tron fron Xaldin and slammed her against the wall. "Your useless toys are nothing compared to the might of the Queen's army!" he hissed. "I'm surprised they help you get this far."

"Urrrghhh…" Tron groaned. "So…this how it ends…"

"Perhaps." Nightmare mused. "Stealing from the queen is a grave offense, and is punishable by death." He stared at Tron. "But there have be recent…developments. She may be interested in your services As such, consider yourself lucky." He turned to his two men. "Gather this scrap while I lock her away. Give it to Relius and Mutran. Maybe they can make something out it." They nodded and began as Nightmare turned to the mech. "And see to it that suit is repaired."

Nightmare walked away, while Tron merely drooped limply in his claw, full of agony, over the pain and shame.

* * *

Jin gasped for breath, unable to keep up with is foe, while Krocken sill held his ground well against the artificial creature in front of him

"Damn it!" he snarled. "Just what are you?"

Krocken glanced at him out the corner his eye. "Who the Hell do you think I am?" he replied with a cold smirk as he forced Cardiac back, ignoring the insects spawned from the experiment.

Zero finally manage to overpower Ventor and Magus and flung them into Luffy, Gresh, Beluga, and Red, causing them to skid across the hall, leaving him only Pit to deal with. The angel summoned his Optical Blade and charged at his foe, both clashing their blades of energy together

Nojiko and Elh helped their loved ones up as Beluga picked himself off the ground. "Damn," Beluga growled. 'He's way too tough!"

Red gritted his teeth. "We need to get of this room before this gets even more serious." He turned. "Chocolat, I need you-"

He stopped. Chocolat was no longer where he left her, and her bodyguard was gone as well. "…huh?"

Elh looked around in confusion as well. "I-I was so distracted I never saw her vanish!" she gasped.

"How did-" Tsubaki began, but then took a good look around. "Wait, now that we mention this…where's Noel, Mia, and Rapunzel?"

The others looked about, and realized, while their attention was elsewhere during and after the dance, their friends and vanished…along with their partners.

"You…don't think…" Nojiko began in worry.

Red didn't even think, he just acted. "GRAAAHHH!" he roared, drawing his blade. "YOU BASTARDS!" he began to charge towards the battle…

* * *

Nautilator smirked as he set the charges beneath the floor of the ballroom, and swam back to prep the charges.

Snaptrap turned to his unit. "The charges will food the area, catching them all off-guard. Show no mercy to anyone who tries to intervene."

"Aye, sir!" Tentakil agreed. As the others readied themselves, Nautilator began the timer to the charges.

As the timers ticked down, Snaptrap got a closer at the bombs. Something about the position of them…

There was no time to change it. He could only brace himself, resolving to fetch his minions at a later time.

The bombs went off, causing the water to rush suddenly all over in all directions. Snaptrap gritted his fangs as the water swept the others way…in the wrong direction. Snaptrap roared as he forced himself forward.

The five others Seacons were blasted out in the front grounds of the castle…that was populated by a horde of Skrall.

Initially startled, the Skrall surrounded the Seacons and aimed their weapons at them. Stunned and unable to transform the Seacons were trapped.

"Nautilator, you idiot!" barked Seawing. "You were supposed to get us into the castle, not in front of it!"

"Don't blame me!" Nautilator snarled. "You should have let me scan the area better!"

"Ah, shaddup!" Overbite smacked his incompetent partner with his tail.

* * *

Red was sent flying back from the blast, as was Mutran, damaging his remote in the process.

Cardiac, as a result, began to stiffen and falter, unable to function without control. This allowed Krocken to punch it in the face, knocking it uselessly to the ground.

Zero and Pit paused in their duel as they turned to the flooding water, while Jafar facepalmed. "Oh, now what?" he groaned.

"RRRAAGGHHH!" Snaptrap roared in fury as he burst form the water, transforming into his humanoid robot form as he did. "Damn lobster botched everything AGAIN!"

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Neyla screamed, the night going from bad to worse.

Krocken stared at the Seacon with a glare. "Snaptrap!" he snarled.

Snaptrap turned, and seemed surprised at Krocken, before his eyes narrowed. "So, Krocken, this is what you've being doing? Dancing like a fool?" he chuckled, a rarity from him. "I followed you here, hoping you would lead us to profit, and my hopes paid off." His eyes narrowed. "Still, didn't expect you dance of all things, demon-child."

"Do NOT call me that!" Krocken replied in a dark, warning tone. "I want nothing to do with it anymore!"

Tsubaki, tending to Red, glanced over her shoulder. "Snaptrap? Wasn't he an infamous soldier during the War?"

"Yes," Boa confirmed. "He's the one called 'The Butcher of the Bogs'. Got that moniker when he singlehandedly killed an entire platoon of well-armed soldiers while traversing a dark and deadly swampland!"

"So…he's also insanely powerful?" Ventor asked."

"Indeed." Beluga said.

Neyla was also listening, but she knew who Snaptrap was. Was caught her attention was what Snaptrap said. "Demon-child?" What on earth do you-?"

"SILENCE, WHORE!" Snaptrap roared. "This is between me and the demon!" he turned back to Krocken as Neyla seethed. "I was here just to seize some weapons and wealth. However, I've reconsidered, and I'll just skin you and take your hide for all to see!" He drew his sword, glowing white hot in his hand. "Shall we?"

"…If you insist." Krocken growled as he readied himself and charged at the Seacon. Snaptrap snarled as he blocked the katana and pushed his foe back. Krocken claws skidded against the ground and Snaptrap charged and swung his blade, which Krocken barley dodged, feeling the heat as the sword sizzled the air. The raptor snarled as he rushed back a swung his blade at Snaptrap, who quickly blocked it, sending the two into a deadlock

Krocken strained as he struggled to push back his powerful foe. But the fatigue on fighting Jin and Cardiac was getting on him, and just when it seemed he was about to fall…

Snaptrap howled in sudden pain as Zero, having been forgotten by Pit in the moment, leapt up and slashed the Seacon across the back. Krocken took the opportunity to stab his foe in the chest, just missing his Spark.

"ARGH!" Snaptrap pushed him away. "You little bastard!" he swung his sword again, nearly catching Krocken across the side.

A sword made of ice suddenly caught Snaptrap on the side. He whirled to see Jin glaring at him. "You piece of trash… he's mine! You stay out of my way or-"

BOOM!

"JIN!" Tsubaki screamed in horror as Jin was sent flying from the blast caused by Snaptrap's gun. "Gnat." The Seacon spat…

…right before Krocken, taking advantage of the distraction, jumped and socked him across the face, causing him to stumble. Snaptrap glared hatefully at Krocken. "Enough, demon! I shall finish this quickly and pain-"

Pit, summoning his Taurus Arm, ran over and smashed it against Snaptrap. Usually, this would to be enough fell him, but the combination of the blast and fighting Krocken and Zero weakened him enough. Extreme pain shot through the Seacon's body at the weapons power took its tool. He staggered, before crashing to the ground, out cold.

The force of his fall caused all the water too splash up in a mighty fashion, giving Krocken and Zero what they need.

Both leapt through the wall of water, where Krocken then turned and froze it with his breath, separating them from most of the guards.

Before they we able to run to run, Schala and Ciel suddenly ran up to them. "What, you're going?" Ciel asked.

Zero sighed. "Yeah, seems we're not welcome right now." He mused.

Schala paused, then turned. "Take us with you." She said.

Krocken hesitated. He wanted to, as he could see that the castle life was eating away and Schala, and… the dance…

"…I'm sorry, but we can't…now" Krocken said. "But I promise, under better circumstances… We will return for both of you."

Schala and Ciel both nodded, satisfied with the answer, and the two pirates took off, while the guards began to beat against the ice wall.

Red, meanwhile, managed to pick himself off the ground, despite his wounds. "Get…back here…with my sister…. SLIMES!"

Pit's weapon broke the ice…

* * *

"So, Lawrence, is it?" Sora asked Ibuki's new companion.

Ibuki and Lawrence had reached the ship safely, and she told Sora, Hakumen, Rattrap, and Kari, on top of the ship at the time, what had happened.

"Yes." Lawrence agreed. "I owe much to her, and I feel that this life is the only way suited for me now."

Hakumen was silent for a moment. The boy sparked his interest, his seemingly cool and carefree manner hiding a strong and resolved individual;. Krocken would not seem to mind this kind of guy aboard. What worried Hakumen was the rise of expense for new crewmember.

"I have no issue with you." Hakumen said at last. "And I doubt our leader will either. But it would still be convenient to receive his actual input first."

"But first." Kari said. "We have to return our unexpected guests to the castle." Hakumen nodded at that.

Rattrap suddenly looked out into he city road and saw Krocken and Zero sprinting towards them. "Oh, there's the captain now!" he chimed as the other turned too see them, before becoming aware of what he was shouting.

"GET READY TO GO! READY THE SAILS AND RAISE THE ANCHOR!" Krocken screamed.

"Wow, he's in a rush." Rattrap laughed. "Wonder what's the big-"

Charming, Pit, Luffy, Ventor, Klubba, Hun, Beluga, Red (supported on his mech, DAHAK), Hagi, and a horde of Skrall came around the corner, weapons drawn and angry looks on their faces.

"…Time to go." Sora said meekly as Rattrap rushed down to get ready to head the guard off.

"But what about the noblewoman?!" Kari asked in shock at the army and concern over the girls aboard.

"…We have no choice." Hakumen growled. "I'll make sure the captain is shown what happened."

Korra and King had rushed the side and were hoisting up the anchor, while Klonoa, Jake, Wing, and Sly were letting down the sails.

Down below, Rattrap had set up the cannon, while Berix and Dominikov were rushing towards him, carrying a special cannonball to help head off the guards.

Noel felt the ship move suddenly. "Huh? W-What's going on?" she asked as she and the others looked about.

"…Shit!" Ragna said as he knew what was happening: They were sailing with the girls still aboard, due to an emergency.

Krocken and Zero rushed past a completely confused Opera, Gren, and Calua, boarded the ship, and reacted the ramp as they set sail.

Rattrap chose the moment to fire his weapon, and the cannonball went sailing into the air.

The guards stopped and backed up in order to avoid the blast, managing to stay out its projected path. They soon became confused, however, when they saw the design of the ball.

A yellow smiley face, with the words, 'Have a Nice Day!' written on it.

The ball struck the ground…and exploded into dozens of fireworks. The flashing lights, cracking sounds, and sizzling rockets caught them all off guards, scattering and disorienting them.

When it was all over, and they were able to stand again, The Opal of the Serpent was already out of range, as was well on its way.

"…Damn it!" Hagi growled.

* * *

Krocken and Zero panted once aboard the ship. "Well, that went well." Krocken growled as Sora handed him his coat. Krocken put it on…then noticed Lawrence next to Ibuki.. "…and you are?"

"Name's Lawrence." He said as he came up and extended his hand. "Ibuki and I helped each other today, and I'm interested in being part of the crew."

Krocken examined him, decided he could be some use, and began to extend his claw…until he sharply retracted it. "Wait, no invisible robotic doll behind you, right?"

"…No?" Lawrence said confused, the others looked oddly at this statement.

"It's how his cover his blown." Zero said with a sigh.

"How was I supposed to know Mr. Phantom of the Opera had something like that with him." Krocken growled as he shook Lawrence's hand. He then looked Lawrence and gave a small smile. "Still, at least we got a new recruit somehow. I'm sure Ibuki can show you how it's done around here."

"I'll do my best, sir!" Ibuki said as Lawrence nodded.

"Good." Said Krocken as he adjusted his clothes. "I just hope there will be no more problems tonight."

"…Yeah, about that." Kairi began.

"…What is it?" Krocken said, already not liking here this was going.

Ragna, Isaac, and Flynn suddenly appeared above deck with there partners. "Oh, hey captain…" Isaac said nervously.

For the longest time, Krocken could only stare at the girls, before speaking slowly and icily. "OK, I better get a good explanation for this."

Isaac and Ragna went silent, so Flynn tried. "Well...you see we all wanted to show the girls around and impress them," he began. "SO…we decided to show them the ship, all of us together."

"WHAT!" Ragna cried. "You liar. We all did it, yeah, but neither of us were aware that we all had the same thing in mind!"

"Yeah!" said Isaac. "Beside we didn't have any insidious thoughts on our minds!"

"OH! Now we're back to that again!" Flynn said in exasperation. "I'm telling ya I didn't-"

"Guys." The cold voice to their captain caused all three to turn, their faces going pale when they saw the raptor looming over them. "It no longer matters what you had in mind. What matters is several things: First you ditch me, leaving me and Zero to face a swarm of guards, followed by the arrival of Snaptrap, who proved a little too chatty today. Now, with those girls on board, that damn cat will make us bigger criminals THAN WE ALREADY ARE!"

Rapunzel frowned. "Criminals…what a sec…" She looked around at the assortment of individuals for a few moments, before she looked up sharply.

"You…YOU'RE ALL PIRATES!"

Mia and Noel paled, as did the crew. "Uh, you could say that." Wing said, sweating. "But, we not the viscous, bloodthirsty types…sometimes."

Krocken sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, we're not gonna hurt you at all, I…just need to think on what do…"

"OH, WE HAVE HOSTAGES!" Tao's cheery voice rang out, causing Momo to try and shut her up.

"EEEEEEHHHHH!?" the three girls turned pal with fright, getting the wrong idea.

"NO! NOT LIKE THAT!" Krocken screamed, a vein pulsing.

"Tao was just trying to help." Tao insisted as Momo let her hand slip.

"Not helping!" Krocken snapped, before he relaxed, and thought on what he had to do. "The right thing to do would be to return you to shore, but they'll tear us apart when we get near."

Mia, regaining herself, spoke. "Then we'll tell them that we came on willingly, saying you had not part on of this.

Krocken looked at her. "That could work for some, but that cat is kinda…crazy. What if she brands you as traitors as a result?"

"He makes a valid point." Noel said as Rapunzel nodded in agreement. "There's no way to win with her."

Krocken sighed. "Until then, I don't want you to die, so I'll have some of my people train you." He turned to his select members of his crew. "Samus, Korra, Kairi! I want you to show these girls how it's done out in the sea."

"My pleasure, captain." Samus said and the other two nodded.

Satisfied, Krocken leaned against a crate. "Thank you. Now, hopefully things won't get any worse and-"

The crate fell open, and two figure tumbled out, dazed. A young Caninu with long pink hair one was one of them, along with massive red robot.

"What the-?!" Krocken stammered.

"Ohhhh…" the Caninu stood wearily. "Guess my hiding place got blown."

"C-Chocolat?!" Noel gasped. "What are you doing here?! With Omega, no less!"

"Huh?" Chocolat looked surprised. "You three are here too? I thought I was the only stowaway!"

"No, we came-" Rapunzel stopped herself, and frowned. "Wait, stowaway? That's something that your brother would be more likely of."

"…I couldn't help myself…" Chocolat shad sheepishly.

"Wait…does your brother even KNOW you're here?" Mia asked.

"H was distracted by the fights, so I guess not." Chocolat admitted.

"Oh, we're doomed." Jake whispered to Rayman.

"Nah, we can figure this out, pal!" Rayman insisted.

Krocken didn't get angry. He didn't shout, scream, or even speak. He just stared for a moment, before tuning, leaning over the side of the ship, and…

'BLLLLEAAAGHHHH!"

* * *

Back at the castle…

Neyla fumed to herself as she surveyed the damage, as Snaptrap was carted away in a stasis pod, Justas the other Seacons would be in few moments. The room was in shambles, torn to bits by the blast and fighting. Buzzsaw had left for his room, ranting angrily over the disaster. Tsubaki and Saya had helped Jin out to recover. Palutena had arrived earlier, and, after learning in shock what had happened, left with the girls to help them recover. Mutran dragged a defunct Cardiac away for repairs, with Merveille following. Magus had dispersed to his own area, and many of the guards had been sent off to catch the pirates and retrieve the missing girls.

Celestia left, a little nervous, but nothing permanent. Raphael took his leave as well, but not before promising the queen to help.

"Just leave it to me." He said. "And I will take care of them all."

Neyla nodded to him as he left, as Rachel (unfazed and unconcerned of the massive carnage that happened today) prepared to leave with the others, but not before speaking to Neyla. "I must say it was a most interesting event, and I do wish to hear about your plans for the future. But first, I would recommend you fix this room up as soon as possible. I do not wish to preform negotiations in a such a tattered place."

She left with the others, Neyla glaring at her as she did. Oh, the vampire would get what's coming to her one way or another, that was for sure.

Nightmare choose the moment to enter. Glancing casually at the wreckage and water, he strode over to the Queen. "The 'famous' Tron Bonne had infiltrated the castle and attempted to steal for the treasury. I apprehended her, and put her with the others down below.

"Hmm, good." Jafar said as Neyla nodded. "She may come in use one way or another."

"As will the Butcher." Gothel said. "We could use someone like him."

At that moment, the guards who were sent out returned. Neyla, Nightmare, Gothel, and Jafar looked them over. They were wounded, burnt, tired…and empty-handed.

Neyla frowned. "Well, what happened?" she growled.

Pit looked up wearily. "Too fast…fireworks…couldn't see…" He nearly fell over, but Beluga supported him.

Charming stomped forward. "My queen, we almost had them…I just…didn't think they had back up, or something so outrageous enough to stop us!"

Neyla scowled. "I see." Then her eyes narrowed. "But you've failed, nonetheless." She stood up and glared at them all. 'I had hoped to bolster my status among the other kingdoms with this events. What happened instead? An invasion of pirates, a wrecked dance, a destroyed room, four missing girls, a damaged reputation, and WHO KNOWS WHAT DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE SEACON'S AND THE BONNE'S!"

The guards were knocked over by the force of her rage, before the got up and slunk away in shame and anger.

Neyla sighed as she sat back down as Gothel and Jafar took their places next to her. "Aside from the capture of those idiots, isn't here at least one other god thing that happened?"

"There is."

The three turned to see Relius walking towards them, Ignis at this side. The arrival of the raptor may have been, in a way, a blessing in disguise." Ignis arm opened to reveal the vial of blood. "He has given us what we need to complete Cardiac."

Neyla's mouth curled into a cruel smirk. "Excellent. Get right to it."

Relius bowed and took his leave, Neyla watching him go.

Despite that one bit of good news, something still egged her.

What did Snaptrap mean by calling Krocken a 'demon-child'?


End file.
